Agent-G: Pappy's story will come around Christmas time, and hopefully will explain the older age of Pappy, and bring tears of joy over the real meaning of the holidays. "sob"!
Lets just say for now Pappy joined the Scots Brigade of the RAF a wee bit early, and is about 82, 83 today, if Pappy even remembers. And, no Kitty is not driving yet, thank god. Thanks! Read this guys stuff!
Tsugath: Thanks for reading, please continue to R&R, as I am a very swallow writer with a huge ego. NOT! Thanks!
Chapter 11 – Driving Lessons
Professor's Office, the Institute, morning
Mally stuck his head in the office doorway. "Ya wanted to see me Professor? What's up?"
"Mallory, thank you for coming. I have good news for you. We are going to get you a driver's license. If you have time this morning, Scott has offered to teach you how to drive." The Professor smiled.
"Really?," wondered Mally, "Rippa! That way I can help driving the kids to and fro." He was secretly thinking of taking Rahne out on another date, just the two of them.
Charles smiled. He 'saw' what Mally was thinking, and was glad the boy was making friends. "Not necessarily, Mallory. While discussing this with Dr. McCoy, he brought to my attention the fact that with your lower body being larger than normal, the drivers seat of most vehicles would be most uncomfortable for you. Logan suggested we teach you how to drive a motorcycle, and given your power to shield your body from damage, I agreed."
"Whoa, I get to have a motorcycle?! Rippa!" He placed his hands on imaginary handlebars, making 'vroom' noises. He loved Logan's bike, and knew Scot had one, but had never seen it. "Thanks Professor!"
Professor Xavier got serious. "Your welcome Mallory. Just promise me you will be responsible with it. Motorcycles can be very dangerous. Listen and learn from Scott. He is a very good driver."
"Right, I hear ya Professor. Don't worry, I'll do my best! An I'll be proper when I drive, no X-Game type stuff." Mally grinned. "Do I get to pick out a bike of my own?"
"Technically, no," said Charles, "but we have many to choose from in the motorpool, and, If you like, we can set one aside for your use.
"Rippa! I guess I'll have to get a job to make some petrol money." Sighed Mally.
"Actually, I have been thinking of that problem also.", said the Professor. "Since you and Forge will only be in class for a half day when school starts, you will have some spare time until the others return. You will be taking our extra classes that we teach here, from 3 to 5 o'clock in the evening. I think if you helped out down in the lab with Forge and Dr. McCoy, a suitable salary can be offered."
Mally thought out loud. "Well, what'll I be doing? I'm not a science type but I guess I'm Ok with tools an such. Maybe I could do filing in the Med Lab or something."
The Professor laughed. "I'm sure that between Forge and Dr. McCoy, there will be plenty to do. At the very least, during clean up. How does $550 a month sound to you, Mallory?"
"Sounds great Professor, now I won't have ta beg offa me Pappy anymore. When do I start?" Mally was excited.
"When school starts, next week. You will be going to Bayville High for their GED program. Then you will come back to the Institute and work from 12:30 until 3 p.m. with Forge and the good doctor. From 3 to 5 p.m. you and the rest of the students will have Self-Defense with Mr. Logan, CPR with Dr. McCoy, and a 'We Like Computers' class with Katherine Pride. How does that sound, Mallory?"
"Crikey, I'm gonna be busy! But all that stuff sounds pretty neat, and if it gets me $550 quid a month, it sounds great!" piped Mally.
"Superb. Now shall I tell Scott you will meet him in the Motorpool?" asked Charles.
Motorpool, the InstituteScott was already in the Motorpool when he heard the Professor in his head.
'Scott, can you meet Mallory in the Motorpool for driving lessons?'
'Yes Professor, 10-4. I'm already waiting for him.' Scott thought back.
He had not gotten to know Mallory, or Mally, as the students called him, since his arrival a few weeks ago. He and Jean were getting kind of serious lately, spending a lot of time together. Plus, being the oldest student, and taking college courses via the internet instead of going to the high school, kind of kept him and Jean out of the loop with the high school aged students. Jean, who was 19, had gone to Bayville High, but with the closest girl in age being Rogue at 17, then Kitty, Jubilee, and Rahne at 15 years, she had been a junior when Rogue got there, and out when the other girls attended. Same for himself, he was, or had been at least 4 years older than Kurt, Sam, Bobby, and Forge. He was only 3 years older than Mally, and Mally was only going to Bayville High for the GED with Forge. Maybe they would get along well.
Mally walked into the motorpool, saw Scott over by one of the garages. He didn't know Scott that well; he hadn't spent a lot of time with him since he came over from Australia. Some of the other guys said he was too serious all the time, but Mally figured he make judgment after he got to know the bloke. Scott waved him over.
"Morning, Mally, how are you doing today?" Scott asked, reaching out to shake Mally's hand.
"G'day mate! How you doin'? I guess I'm reportin' for duty; have to admit, I'm lookin' forward to hittin' the open road. Thanks fer volunteering to teach me. Ya sure I ain't takin' you away from something else?" asked Mally.
"Nope, glad I can help. Ready to get started?" posed Scott.
'Well, he sure is all business,' thought Mally, 'may as well follow his lead.'
"Right, mate, what's first on the table?" Mally was ready.
"Well, you need a helmet. No matter what Mr. Logan says, not all of us heal like he does. Don't ride without head protection." Scott said sternly. "I think with your dreadlocks, a half helmet will work best." He handed Mally a black helmet from off the rack on the wall. It looked like a salad bowl turned upside down. "Rippa, I seen these before. Real biker style, eh?"
Scott smirked. "Yeah, I guess. You may want goggles on longer trips, the wind can hurt your eyes."
"Dr. McCoy says me eyes are 'protected' by the part of me noggin that does what yer girl Jean does, in lesser ways, of course.", smiled Mally. "Yer Jean's a looker by the way, and she seems a real peach, helpin' out the younger kids an all. You're a lucky guy." Mally wanted to try and loosen Scott up a bit.
Scott did smile a bit. "Yeah, I am. Ok, second lets find a bike you will be comfortable and confident on." He pressed a switch on the wall, and the garage door slid upwards, revealing four cycles. "The BMW is the one I usually ride," Scott said, "but give it a try if you like. I was doing some thinking this morning though, and given the shape and size of your legs, I think the Indian may be easiest for you. It's the one with the red tank." Scott pointed to a retro looking motorbike with a big saddle seat and U-shaped handlebars that you could kind of lean into.
Mally swung a leg over. "Rippa, downright bonzer, I mean, too right..." he breathed.
"It's kind of in between a crotch rocket like mine an low rider like Mr. Logans. It's got good power also, which is important when you are riding properly." stated Scott. "It's a 2003 Indian Chief with the Vintage kit on it, which is basically the windscreen and those saddle bags on the tail."
"Man, the Professor goes all out when he buys vehicles, don't he! This thing is awesome! I think I'm in love..." Mally sighed draping his body over the bike.
Scott smiled again, even giving a little chuckle. He knew what Mally was saying; how you could actually fall in love with a bike.
"Ok, we covered headgear and found a bike. Next step is this," Scott announced, pulling a paperback book from his pocket. "The Massachusetts Guide to Operating a Motor Vehicle: Motorcycle Edition. You'll find one in your saddlebags." He opened the book. "Chapter One: Defensive Driving. 'To insure public safety, the following rules must be...'"
Inside, Mally groaned. He could tell this was right up Scott's alley. 'Oh well, it's a small book, and I guess it won't kill me to follow along.' Thought Mally, taking out his copy. 'I wish we could just get on and ride...'
Upstairs, Professors Office
The Professor smiled. 'Mallory has patience of biblical proportions. I'm amazed at his ability to 'go with the flow' as the children say. It even rubs off on the other students.'
The Kitchen, the Institute, lunchtime"You're doing well, Mally, I think maybe we could ride around the grounds after we eat lunch. We'll take it slow, let you get your bearings." Scott suggested. "Has Forge repaired your image inducer yet?"
"Oh yeah, he gave it back to me this morning before he went down to the lab. If we stay on the grounds, I wont really need it though, will I?"
"Most likely not, but take it with you just in case." replied Scott. "It's weird how a soda from the movies caused that much damage. I thought Forge designed them to be waterproof."
"Yeah, well..." Mally looked at Scott over his pasta and veggies. "Look, Scott, mate, I get the feeling yer all about the straight and narrow. If I tell you something in private, can you keep it zipped?"
"Depends. If I feel I have to tell the Professor for the safety of the Institute, I will." Scott made no promises.
Mally looked Scott in the eye. 'Ah what the hell, maybe I should give this guy a chance. If'n he tells Professor X, the punishment can't be any worse than reading over that manual.'
"Well, we ran into a group of kids Rahne told me were called the Brotherhood. The one girl badmouthed Rahne, and I took offense. Then this 'Toad' bloke tried ta jump me, and ended up spitting some goo on me watch before I cleaned his clock fer him. That's what really happened." Mally took a deep breath, waiting for Scott to reply.
Scott thought about it. He guessed he should tell the Professor, but there was no real damage done, and he was starting to like Mally. He could act really mature sometimes, and it was refreshing after dealing with guys like Bobby and Kurt, even Mr. Logan at times.
"Well, no harm, no foul, no time in the box. Thanks for telling me the truth. I appreciate that." Scott tried to give Mally a friendly smile. "Come on, finish up those noodles and lets go ride."
Outside entrance to the Motorpool, the InstituteMally pushed his onto the exit ramp followed by Scott with his bike. He was ready to go; he actually had ridden a few motorcross bikes before his change, goofing around with friends. 'Can't be too different, the gears, brakes, and clutch are basically the same. Biggest difference is the size of the bike.', he thought to himself.
"Ok, put the helmet on, strap it down, and climb on." Scott stated.
"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Mally playfully shot back, drawing a smile from Scott.
"Good luck, and drive safe, stick with me and take it slow." Scott pressed the starter on his BMW, and it purred like a cat, like a big cat.
Mally put his big foot on the kickstart and hammered it down. The Indian roared to life, having a different sound than the fine tuned Beemer. 'Sounds like a dragon being born...' thought Mally, completely digging it.
Scott shifted into gear and pulled off slowly, hoping to be a good example to Mally. All of a sudden Mally passed him, shouting "Tally Ho, Mate!". He wasn't breaking the 'speed limit' or anything but he was going faster than Scott had expected. Scott gave it a little gas to catch up.
He had meant to admonish Mally for pulling out too quickly, but as he got up next to him, he looked over, noticing the look of pure bliss on his furry face, whiskers shaking in the wind, dreads flailing about, huge pie eating grin on his face.
Scott had forgotten how it felt when Mr. Logan had first shown him how to ride. It came back to him all at once, just watching Mally. That sense of freedom, the feeling that you were leaving all your cares, troubles, and responsibilities in the dust. Scott pushed up the visor on his helmet and just smelled the wind. He turned to Mally. "Tally Ho backatcha, mate!"
Professors Office, the Mansion
The Professor smiled. He liked this new addition to his student more and more as days went by.
End – Chapter 12 – The Last Weekend before School