The X-men took in a mysterious one-armed teenager, whom they met on a mission against the brotherhood of mutants. Suffering a severe amnesia, the X-men nurtured, protected and tried to help the boy to remember his past. Little though did they know about the new menace in connection with the boy and that is crying for total annihilation for both mutants and humans.
Memories
A new morning sun broke through the window shades in Caine's room. Lots of shouts and cries were breaching through his ears. It was recess time in Xavier's School for the Gifted. Caine rubbed his eyes and left the hand on, covering the blinding sun rays. He wanted to sleep some more. After the tour through the mansion with that pretty girl, he was left more exhausted than he was before. He was going to nap in again as his stomach grumbled and twisted inside him. Then he remembered something: that he hadn't had anything to eat since he woke up. Deciding on the other prime need, he pulled up the covers and got out of bed. He was also relieved to find that the needles on his arm and the I.V. stand was gone. The doctor must have taken it out early in the morning. The only thing that was left were the few pills on the tablet with the usual "please take it" note. Another thing he noticed were a sweatshirt, boxer shorts and jogging pants on the chair.
"Must be really generous people..."
He put the clothes on and made his way towards the kitchen.
"So is there anything you have on the boy?"
Jean pushed up her glasses while handing the professor some papers. Professor Xavier took the unsorted papers and looked through the lab results and reports. Jean meanwhile continued with her own report.
"Well, he is fine for now, apart from his amnesia and his missing left arm. His blood still shows a lot of proliferating agents though and his metabolism blows everything we have seen before."
The professor put the reports aside and looked in the eyes of his science advisor.
"Anything that points to a mutation?"
Jean Grey shook her head.
"Nothing right now. I can merely guess that he would have some regenerative capability like Logan but I'm even not sure about that."
Charles Xavier nodded and took a sip of his coffee.
"Well alright, then please continue to analyze him. I'll see if I can try to find something in his mind."
The professor steered his chair to the door. Closing his eyes he seemed to concentrate on something. Jean could already tell what he was looking for.
"Would you like something to eat?"
Caine stumbled through the kitchen door to find Logan behind the fridge. He was a little surprised when he tumbled into the room.
"Wow, wow, wow take it easy there pup."
He helped Caine back on his feet. He then went back to opening his beer while Caine supported himself on the kitchen table. Logan could already tell without any psychic abilities what he was after.
"Hungry? Kids're at the table right now for lunch. Would join them if ya don't wanna miss the good stuff."
He pointed at another door leading to the dining room. Caine nodded and made his way to the dining room almost tripping over again. Caine was able to hold himself on the door frame. Logan was a bit annoyed and worried. If he really needed help then why didn't he just ask.
"Hey, kid you're OK?"
"Yeah,... I'll be fine."
His voice was weak but for our Wolverine it was loud enough. Deciding to leave him be, Logan nodded again and left the kitchen. Maybe it was better that he would try to do things on his own. Caine meanwhile appeared in the dining room where the kids, laughing and screaming around, were enjoying their meal. Mashed potatoes with a steak and salad was on the lunch list today. Just the smell could make Caine lose his consciousness.
"Don't u want to eat wit us?"
It was Nightcrawler who appeared behind him. Normally, the first sight of Nightcrawler would have stunned everyone, mutants and humans alike. But somehow for Caine, he wasn't neither petrified nor afraid.
"Here, let me help u a bit."
Nightcrawler grappled him and teleported him to his table. Caine was astonished by this ability. It was almost like an eye twitch, beaming from one place to another.
"Wow..."
Nightcrawler was amazed. No one every had recognized his ability before.
"Vielen Dank..."
Two other children were sitting opposite them, staring at the new guy without an arm. Caine felt a bit awkward. Four eyes on him and he couldn't shake them off. Nightcrawler whispered something into his ear.
"Tat is normal. They have not seen somthing like tis before."
He knocked with his arm at Caine's remaining left arm.
"Aha..."
While Caine tried to ignore the kids staring at him, he discovered someone else behind them. It was Marie sitting with John, Bobby, Kitty and Jubilee. She had noticed him already. Caine raised his hand to greet her. Flattered, she replied back with the same greeting. The other teens grinned when they saw whom Rogue replied to except for Bobby, who was glaring at the newcomer.
"U know tat she and tat guy are together, ja?"
Caine just smiled back at him and started to consume his meal while Rogue occasionally tried to keep eye contact with him.
The professor kept looking at the files on the boy while continuing to sip on his coffee. He was already in the elevator riding upwards to meet the newcomer. Professor Xavier couldn't get off his mind that the boy would bring some very bad news to the X-Men; Something like intuition or even a prediction of things to come. As the elevator doors opened and the professor's thoughts were still concentrated on the boy, he wondered why the mansion was so quiet and why every kid was standing around something or somebody in the dining room...
The gifted kids were forming a circle around a table witnessing something that even their powers would never reach. Caine still sat on his table eating with the two staring kids and a petrified Nightcrawler. Caine just finished his latest plate and added them to the stack besides him, now counting to six. Even the rest of the teen X-Men gang, Bobby, John, Kitty and Marie were watching this obviously now main event.
"Is that his power, swallowing down anything there is..."
Marie hit John with her elbow in his rip cage only slightly hurting him. Nightcrawler wrapped himself with his arms and tail.
"I tougt tat I was frigtening enough but this is even more scary."
Caine meanwhile finished his sixth plate. His stomach, still unsatisfied, waited for something more. He put the plate on top of the stack and looked around for something to eat. One of the staring kids pushed his unfinished plate to him. The kid, still with his mouth down and petrified, couldn't get his eyes off the newcomer. Caine smiled, grabbed his fork and knife and continued to munch happily on the lunch.
"That must be some power..."
No one was able to finish nor reply when the professor showed up.
"Ah there you are. I see that you are enjoying our cock's specialties."
"Yoah, munch... munch... quiet good..."
"Alright. When you finish your lunch would you like to join me in my office?"
Caine, still chewing on the steak, agreed with a nod. The professor smiled and was about to leave the scene when said one last thing to the kids.
"Children, let the man eat, besides you're going to be late for class."
Professor Xavier was still looking through the files on the disc as the door opened and revealed Jean Grey with some papers in her hands. His eyes left the files on his computer to focus on the guest.
"So anything else?"
Jean removed her glasses and rubbed her head.
"Same as before. Have you tried yet?"
The professor was about to answer when he heard knocks on his door.
"Come in..."
The door opened and Caine appeared.
"Ah Caine, we were just talking about you. Please have a seat."
Caine did what the professor asked. He took the empty chair besides Jean and sat down. Professor Xavier steered his chair to the side to get closer to Caine.
"I guess that you are interested to find something about your past."
Caine nodded quickly.
"Good. Now I want you to try to relax."
The professor put his hands on Caine's head. Caine pulled away first, afraid of what will happen.
"Its alright Caine, I will try to see what is in your mind."
His soft voice assured Caine the safety of the procedure and let the professor continue. Again, the professor put his hands on Caine's head and closed his eyes. Caine too closed his eyes hoping that it would help. Then Professor Xavier concentrated on Caine's mind. He was thrown into a void of pictures with many uniformed men and weird mutilated men and women. Red was the only dominant color in that weird dream. Moments later he opened his eyes to find himself in a forest. It was a forest wrapped in complete silence. He then noticed someone behind a tree kneeling over something. He could not see over what he was kneeling over cause the bushes were blocking his sights. The professor stood up from his chair and walked over to him. His eyes could not believe the sight when he got closer. Blood and organs were all over the place coming from a mutilated body without a head. The person kneeling over it didn't have a face either. It seemed like that the man was eating it. Then another person came out of the forest. The professor identified him as none other than Caine. None of his limbs were missing too. The other man stood up facing Caine. He lifted his arms morphing them into some kind of weird looking blades. Caine, unamazed by his move, cramped his left sleeve up and also formed a blade from his hand. Though unidentical, both blades have almost the same organic style; a sharp curved blade attached to flesh, while Caine's blade looked like a sword with additional spines. Both men then dashed with light speed into each other, clashing their weapons together. The next thing that happened was that the professor was thrown into a void of pictures again, all showing excessive gore and mutilation of both humans and animals alike. The final thing he saw was Caine himself his face covered in blood, screaming out his battle cry into the air. Back to reality, professor Xavier forced his eyes open, while his heart beating like it had never before. He removed his hands slowly though and returned behind his desk, while was left Caine puzzled.
"Well, it seems that your mind was more complex than I thought. I think that it would take some more sessions to find something more about you."
Caine still couldn't understand anything.
"So, is it good or bad now?"
"Well we will have to work some more times to see your memories. But this is normal and we should take it slow and one step at a time."
The professor then looked at his watch. 6:30 PM.
"Well why don't you join the others for dinner. I think that our chief has something very special for today's dinner. And don't worry we have enough, even for you."
A smile formed on Caine's face. He quickly stood up and went to the door. He almost forgot something to ask tough and turned around to look at both Jean and the professor. Professor Xavier already knew what he was about to ask.
"Don't worry, Jean and I will be joining you soon."
Caine nodded and left the room. Jean still had puzzled expression on her face, which wasn't unnoticed.
"Professor, I know that you have seen his memories but why aren't you telling them to him."
The professor turned his face to the window.
"Because I think it is better that he would never see these things again as I saw them."
"You know that he will eventually find out himself."
He supported his heavy head with his right hand and tried to find calm within the green.
"All the more reason to protect him from them."
But somehow he knew that this time will come soon.
After an amazing dinner, Caine sat on a bank outside enjoying the last sights of the sun before it disappeared from the horizon. And again he stunned the folks of mutant high by finishing ten burgers with a bowl of salad and fruits. Wolverine already suggested to take him to the annual New York hotdog eating contest to come up for the food he consumed and maybe to boost the income for the school of the gifted. Most kids agreed but the final word came from Scott, who protested against the abuse of the new guest. And as ever Scott and Logan fought much in amusement to the others until the professor broke them up and literally sent them to bed. It was a very funny moment. But that was one hour ago and Caine fought against his stomach from exploding. While he still held his stomach from all the food he gulped down another person appeared from behind.
"Do you always have that big appetite?"
The voice belonged to the girl who helped Caine through the first days at the mansion.
"Oh, hi Rogue."
Rogue could hear the silent grins of her two girls behind her. She turned around and gestured to shut up and go back inside. Kitty and Jubilee did what they were told but they still kept an eye on the two by sticking their heads out of the open door. After getting them out of her sight, Rogue sat down beside Caine and watched the beautiful sunset with him.
"What's your name?"
Rogue was surprised that he asked,
"What?"
"I mean what's your real name..."
Rogue was a bit flattered that he asked. Actually only three people knew her real name; the professor, Jean Grey, and Logan.
"Marie..."
And now him.
"And what about you? What did the professor say..."
Caine sighed.
"Apparently my mind was a bit too complex. We still need some more sessions."
"Oh..."
Caine looked down on his remaining left arm.
"Maybe I'll remember when I find out where I've lost my arm."
"May I?"
Marie pointed on his left arm. Caine nodded and let her touch. Marie carefully caressed the arm with her hands. As she remembered the arm was cut off clean. Now it was curved, no evidence was left to prove that it was cut off.
"Does it still hurt?"
"Sometimes... Are you a psychic too?"
"No, my power is to take the powers of other mutants, but with humans I'd take their "life- force" as the professor said. Basically I'd hurt people if I touch them too long, doesn't matter if mutant or human. That is why I can't let you touch my skin."
"Oh..."
Silence was between them. Although it only lasted some seconds, it was like an eternity. Marie broke it with her looking downwards, breaking the eye contact with Caine. The sun was gone already. While Caine thought about his past, Marie thought about how she could escape the pseudo romantic scene without letting him alone. Then she stood up.
"Hey, what about some foosball? Betcha you won't beat me and Bobby."
She pulled him up on his feet. He though was confused about one more thing.
"What is foosball?"
"A fun game you'll like it, even with one hand... come on!"
Whatever game it was, she must love it. Caine followed her inside. Luckily though Marie was the first to enter the mansion to find the peaking girls Jubilee and Kitty behind the curtains. While she was busy spanking her girls for peaking, Caine stopped in front of the doorstep, turned around and wondered if he knew the silent cry that was coming out of the dark forest behind the gardens of the mansion.