Disclaimer: I only own Jesse and any other characters you see that you don't recognize, like the members of Musu or Jesse's friends.
"talking"
'thinking'
'telepathy'
I've been doing some revising. Look back in the previous chapters for any corrections, particularly chapter one. The whole of X-Men: Evolution, to me, happened over the space of a year and a half. Scott and Jean are still going to Bayville High because of the time they were banned from the school was long enough for them to lose enough credits to keep them from graduating, but they'll only be there for one semester. The graduation episode still happened, the whole discrepancy with the credits was discovered afterwards. They were juniors when the show started.
-
'Hasn't changed much,' Jesse thinks to himself as he steps off the X-jet, 'then again, it's only been a month.'
He was back home. Or what used to be home. He had been in Bayville for a month now, learning to control his new psionic powers and going to a new school. For nearly two weeks he had trained with Logan and Professor Xavier while everyone else was at school, and when Jean was home he would practice with her if he wasn't hanging out with his new friends. Thinking of them brings a smile to Jesse's face. Scott, Rogue, and Kurt were among the best people Jesse had ever met.
Scott was forced to wear glasses like Jesse, only for different reasons. His mutant powers came in the form of red concussive blasts from his eyes. He couldn't control them so he had to wear glasses made of a special ruby quartz that contained them. He was also the leader of the X-Men, the team of highly trained mutants that defended Professor Xavier's dream of humans and mutants living together peacefully.
Rogue was a girl that Jesse had formed a strange friendship with. They both felt the same guilt about their powers. Jesse had absorbed the minds of his family when his powers burst forth, and whenever Rogue had skin-to-skin contact with someone she absorbed their memories and life force, and in the case of mutants their powers. That and the two of them were both from the South, though he was from Tennessee and Rogue was from Mississippi.
Kurt looked like a demon, but he had the heart of a saint. Luckily the Professor had a watch with a holographic projector on it that enabled Kurt to go out in public without scaring people. Kurt's teleportation ability was very useful, even if he left behind a sulfurous smoke when he appeared and reappeared.
And all three of them were quite different. Scott was a bit uptight and serious, while Rogue was gloomy, as befitting a Goth. Kurt was a fun-loving guy, and usually made light of any situation, but when it was needed he could be quite serious. The four of them were quite balanced. Each of them had their own skills and their own personalities, but they balanced out. And Scott, Rogue, and Kurt were three of the first four people from the Institute that Jesse had met. Sure, Jean had been there but there just wasn't a connection like there was with those three. All of three them were raised by someone who was not their biological parents. Scott's had died in a plane crash when he was young and he had been raised by Xavier since a year after that when his powers activated, Rogue had been raised by a woman named Irene. Kurt had been raised by the Wagner's since he was a baby when Mystique had lost him in that river. And Jesse had been raised by his aunt when his mother had been deemed unsuitable.
Now he was back in his old home to finalize the papers required for Charles Xavier to become his new legal guardian. With his aunt a mental vegetable and him being under eighteen he was considered a minor, and thus legally incapable of taking care of himself. Jesse himself had decided to get Xavier to assume legal guardianship in case something happened in Bayville.
"Are you all right, Jesse?" Professor Xavier asks as he guides his wheelchair down the ramp.
"About as well as expected, Professor," Jesse admits as Logan follows the Professor, "so, we're taking care of the business with those papers first, right?"
Xavier nods his affirmation. "Indeed. We thought it might be best if that was dealt with first so we would be free for the next few days. I'm sure you wouldn't want it hanging over your head while you spend time with your friends."
Jesse grins and Logan pulls out his motorcycle to take Jesse to his home to get his car. He had left it behind since he didn't feel right taking it. That and there hadn't been room aboard the X-Jet. Now they would be carrying it back with them when they returned.
When Jesse arrived back an hour later in his '92 Taurus, Professor Xavier decided that Jesse was a far better driver than Kitty, even if he was only a slightly better cook. Jesse helps the Professor into the passenger side of his car, then folds up the wheelchair and puts it in the back.
"Well sir, I hope everything works out today," Jesse says as he gets behind the wheel and buckles up. He pulls out three cassettes. Two were unlabeled, since they were mixes he had made. "Hey Professor, your choice of music. I got a tape with a lot of classic country on it, a Bon Jovi/Queen mix, and a tape of the greatest hits of the Monkees."
The Professor's lips quirk in a small smile. "I think we need something to smile about."
"Right on," Jesse grins as he pops the Monkees tape into the radio after starting the car up. As he pulls out onto the street the opening lyrics to the theme song from the old Monkees TV show plays through the speakers, Jesse humming along.
several hours later-
Everything, luckily enough, had gone smoothly. Despite almost getting lost, which had been prevented by the Professor's keen mind, they had made it to the child services building well in time for their appointment. They ended up having to wait for nearly an hour, but Jesse and the Professor spent the time talking telepathically to strengthen Jesse's mind. Jesse hadn't picked up any errant thoughts, for which he was thankful.
Now Jesse and the Professor were in the hotel room they were sharing. Logan was staying in the X-Jet to keep an eye on it while they stayed in more comfortable accommodations. They could have stayed at one of the houses of someone in Jesse's family, but Jesse had had all of the utilities cut off since it would have cost a lot to keep even the basic utilities on.
"So Professor, any specific plans for this morning?" Jesse asks when they finish getting ready for the day, "the youth group's still in school right now and there's not much to do in this town."
"Jesse, have you thought about visiting your family?" Professor Xavier asks gently. Jesse remains silent. "Jesse, you need to see them. You have to face them."
Jesse sighs. "I know Professor, and to be honest I'm scared."
"I understand," Professor Xavier says, "and you do have a good reason to be afraid. But Jesse, you can't let it keep you from your family."
"Yes Professor," Jesse agrees sullenly, "I just don't know if I'm ready."
"Are we ever ready to face the bad things in life?" Professor Xavier asks, "Jesse, you can't let fear rule your life. To do so would keep you from truly enjoying life."
"But its just so hard, Professor," Jesse sighs, "but I guess I need to try. They would want me to live."
Xavier nods and the two of them head off to the nursing home that Jesse's family had been placed in. The place had excellent standards of care and employees who cared about their patients.
later-
After visiting his family, Jesse drops the Professor off back at the X-Jet, picking up Logan to take as an escort. Apparently they figured he was a target. Starbird had said that she and her teammates had been watching him, waiting for his powers to unfold before they recruited him. As such, they couldn't leave him alone anymore except inside the mansion. Though to be safe all of the students were now required to buddy up. Only Logan, Ororo, the Professor, and Hank could leave the mansion alone, and Hank rarely left the mansion due to his appearance and he didn't like the holowatches. He only used them in emergencies.
So now Jesse was stuff with having Logan as an escort. If there was anyone capable of dampening the mood for a party more than Logan, Jesse hadn't met them yet. He had the most intimidating presence imaginable, and his gruff demeanor did nothing to make you think he was friendly. He seemed to have a soft spot for Kitty, but who didn't? The girl was so bubbly you couldn't help but like her. Even Rogue had warmed up to the girl when she had first moved into the mansion.
As Jesse pulls into the parking lot, Logan pulls in behind him on his motorcycle.
"Nice place," Logan comments as he pulls his helmet off and Jesse gets out of his car. They had pulled into a nice-looking church parking lot. There were several other cars there and a few trucks.
"Thanks," Jesse replies, "this was my home away from home while I was living here. You gonna come in and meet everyone or just stay out here?"
Logan nods his head. He would go in, if only to keep an eye on Jesse and be nearby if something happened.
When they entered the building they are greeted by eleven teenagers and four adults. Two of the adults Logan recognized as being Jesse's old neighbors and the parents of his best friend Locke. Among the teenagers are Locke and his slightly younger sister Katie. Besides Katie, there are only two other girls, though one of the two remaining adults was a woman. Logan recalled Jesse calling her 'Miss Ellen'. Apparently she was the youth director at this church. From the looks of things, Jesse was the oldest of the teens. He was a senior while even the oldest of the others was a junior.
"Guys, this is Logan, the physical fitness instructor at the Institute," Jesse says by way of introduction. Logan nods gruffly.
The heavyset dark-haired boy, who was the oldest of the teens after Jesse, was Stephen. He was just a few months younger than Jesse, past the cut-off date for school so he had had to wait another year. He seemed friendly enough to Logan.
The tall, lanky dirty-blonde haired boy was Brad. He almost reminded Logan of Bobby in the way he acted, but something told Logan that he went farther than was necessary with his jokes.
The tall brown-haired girl was Lindsey. She was the pastor's daughter and, according to Jesse, really sweet. She seemed friendly enough, almost like Kitty in her outgoing personality. She was Stephen's age.
Anna, the dark-haired girl, almost reminded Logan of Rogue, only she seemed more cheerful. She was a few years younger than Jesse, being the same age as Katie, Locke's sister.
Matt was another blonde-haired boy, his hair being several shades light than Brad's. He played a bit of baseball. He seemed to be a bit more of the rebel type. He vaguely reminded Logan of Lance.
Josh was a stockily built eight grader. He went to a private school and seemed a bit on the naïve side, with his sheltered lifestyle, but he fit right in, joking with everyone. He was about Jamie's age.
Kevin was a year and a half younger than Jesse, being a sophomore. He was a football player at the closest high school, one of the three in the city. It had been Jesse's old school before transferring to Bayville.
David was Kevin's younger brother, and was Jamie's age. He didn't really resemble his brother except in coloring, but Logan later found out that he greatly resembled his eldest brother George.
Logan remembered Tanya and Randall, Locke's parents and Jesse's former neighbors. Ellen, the group's leader, was a dark-haired women in her mid-thirties. Her husband Brent was tall, about 6', with dark hair in a buzz cut. He also had a faint beard and mustache.
Last but not least were Locke and Katie. Logan remembered the lanky teen with dark brown hair who had given Jesse his send-off. From what he could recall he was Jesse's closest friend.
Katie on the other hand seemed to immediately launch into a rant at Jesse for not calling or even telling her brother to say that he said 'hi'. Logan smirks. Jean had commented that Katie had some feelings for Jesse, but they were a cross between really liking him and thinking of him as another brother/big brother's best friend.
The party itself was a small affair. Apparently these were all the people Jesse knew in this town, with one or two exceptions from school but he hadn't known them that well. So Jesse had a little over a dozen people there for his birthday party.
The party itself was small, but festive. Everyone was certainly enjoying themselves.
"So, how is it that you're here with Jesse?" the youth leader, Ellen, asks.
"I'm an instructor at the Institute where he now lives," Logan replies, "I teach self defense and gym."
"Why is Jesse there?" Ellen asks, "don't get me wrong, he's a bright kid, but a private school just doesn't seem to suit him."
"Actually, he goes to the local high school," Logan replies, "we just teach specialized classes that he can't get anywhere else."
"What kind of classes?" Ellen persists.
"I teach self defense and gym myself," Logan repeats, "Hank teaches science and chemistry. Scott and Jean don't teach just yet since there was some mix-ups in their credits and they have to go back to school for one more semester. Ororo teaches gardening classes as well as language and history."
"Doesn't sound very balanced," Ellen observes.
"Those are just the classes we have teachers for," Logan admits, "we don't have a full staff yet. We're working on getting separate teachers for various classes. Luckily we don't have that many students. Less than twenty. But it does provide for intense focus on the individual."
Ellen nods. "So, why is Jesse there?"
"The kid's smarter than he lets on," Logan replies, "he just doesn't admit it. He catches on quick, too. He does best in my classes. Picks up on everything quickly. A few more months and he'll be on par with the students who have been there longer, even Scott whose been there since he was twelve."
"He's picked up things quickly as long as we've known him," Ellen admits, "but he just doesn't try to apply it."
"He does now," Logan says, "he's a good kid. Polite almost to a fault."
"He seems different now though," Ellen observes as she watches Jesse chase Katie after the girl had whapped him upside the head for a comment, "more easygoing. He used to be withdrawn."
Logan arches an eyebrow. Jesse was acting different? "How withdrawn?"
"Like he just didn't feel like he fit in," Ellen replies, "and he doesn't, to be honest. He doesn't open up, but he will offer his opinion. But he still wouldn't say much. He wouldn't put himself forward in anything."
'Something's not adding up,' Logan muses, 'why is he so different? It couldn't be losing his family, because he'd be going in the other direction: be even more depressed. So what is it?'
"He doesn't open up to many at the Institute either," Logan admits, "only Scott, Kurt, and Rogue."
"Rogue?" Ellen asks, surprised at the name. Logan smirks.
"She's a Goth, so she doesn't open up to many people either," Logan replies, "I am surprised that she's become his friend. Before she would only open up to her brother, Kurt."
Later on, after the party had died down a little, Jesse was talking with the others about what had been going on while he was gone.
"So, what've you been discussing at the meetings while I was gone?" Jesse asks.
"Mutants," Kevin answers, "whether or not they're a threat."
"And what d'you think?" Jesse asks.
"Personally?" Kevin says, "I think they're just people who are trying to fit in."
"Forget it!" Matt snaps, "mutants are a threat! They aren't even human!"
"It's just one gene," Locke says reasonably, "I've read the science reports. Mutants have a gene, called the X-gene, that humans don't. A lot of people just have a dormant X-gene. You, me, anyone in here could have it but it's just dormant, doing nothing. Mutants have an active X-gene that gives them their abilities."
"What about those that don't even look human?" Matt demands, "they're freaks, monsters!"
It takes all of Jesse's self-control not to snap at Matt. Mutants like Kurt and Hank had the hardest lives. The only way Kurt was able to pass himself off as normal was with his image inducer. Hank couldn't even go out with an image inducer because he was wanted.
"Actually, they probably have it worse," Jesse says, "they can't even fit in without disguising themselves. They have to lie about themselves just to go out in public. And then when they're exposed they're shunned. They get stuff thrown at them and are called vile, vulgar names."
"Well, what about that Juggernaut guy, or that other mutant who had those domes?" Matt demands.
"They aren't representatives of all mutants," Jesse retorts, "I'd imagine that most mutants are even scared of themselves when their powers first emerge. I mean, think about some of the mutants we've seen on TV. Like that guy who can shoot spikes from his arms. How would you feel if one day you woke up and you had that stuff sticking out of you?"
"And hey, the world's known about mutants for a while," Katie puts in, "remember that guy we learned about in history class from World War II? Captain America? He could have been a mutant."
"Didn't he save grandma's life once?" Locke asks his sister, "she was a spy put in a concentration camp because they thought she was Jewish. She said him and another commando saved his life."
Logan arches an eyebrow at that. He recalled those rescue operations. He and Cap had gone on many little adventures like that, including one where they had kept Germany from developing its own atomic bomb. Some of his memories were a bit fuzzy, but a lot of the memories of that time were clear, and they were backed by other people. Like Fury. Fury had done all he could to help Logan regain his memories, as had Professor Xavier. Xavier had done all he could to help break through the mental barriers in his mind, but in the end they decided that he would have to find his past himself.
"It doesn't matter, mutants are a threat to humanity," Matt repeats, "nothing you say could change that."
"Sorry to hear that," Jesse says sadly, and for a moment Logan thinks Jesse was gonna reveal that he was a mutant, "a closed mind learns nothing."
"So Jesse, I take it you have a different view on mutants?" Ellen asks.
"For the large part, I say a live and let live policy would work," Jesse replies, "give them every bit as much a chance as living beings under the law and personally. I'm not saying there aren't mutants who aren't bad, that Juggernaut is a prime example, but there are many more who just want a chance to live peacefully. Just give'em a chance. What about everyone else?"
Matt mutters something under his breath. Jesse, Locke, and Katie are tense, each of them fearing what would happen when, not if, Jesse's mutant powers came forth. It wouldn't be pleasant, that was almost certain.
"I say give 'em a chance too," Josh says, "there was a mutant going to school with me but she was expelled when it was revealed that he was a mutant. But before then she was pretty nice. And all she had was a few physical mutations, like pointed ears, lavender skin, and some triangle marks on her face."
Lindsey and David voice similar opinions. The only one there who was adamantly opposed to mutants was Matt. Brad was on the fence, but said that if he met a friendly mutant, he'd give them a chance.
It was late in the evening, getting dark in fact, when it happened. The group was out playing a game of tag football when a branch snaps and proceeds to fall on Stephen. Jesse reacts without thinking and catches the branch with his telekinesis before it can land on Stephen. With a mental shove Jesse throws the branch several yards away where it hits the ground with several audible snaps.
Jesse freezes as he realizes that everyone, minus Katie and Locke, was staring at him. With a sigh he meets everyone's faces. Matt's face is showing surprise, disgust, and hatred, but the others are merely surprised. With a sigh, Jesse faces the others.
"How did you?" Josh manages before Jesse cuts him off.
"Telekinesis," Jesse replies before Josh can finish "and yes, I am a mutant. I have psionic powers, meaning I got mind abilities."
"You mean you can read minds?" Kevin asks.
"Yes," Jesse answers, "I can currently 'hear' what you're thinking if I concentrate, move things with my mind if they aren't too big or too heavy, and sometimes see the past. Maybe the future too but anything I may have 'seen' hasn't happened yet. I'm hoping everything I 'saw' was just a nightmare. I can also create barriers of pure force with my mind but that takes a lot."
"You're a stinkin' mutie!" Matt yells.
"Matt!" Ellen says sharply, "apologize or leave. If you're going to be bigoted about this, about Jesse, then you don't have to stay."
"You're all a bunch of mutie lovers," Matt sneers as he storms off.
"Well, that's not gonna end well," Jesse murmurs as he watches Matt leave, "but I expected as much."
"I'm sorry about that Jesse," Ellen apologizes.
"It's nothing," Jesse says, waving it off, "some of my new friend's have gotten worse, like Kurt."
"He has a physical mutation?" Locke asks.
"You remember seeing those news reports when mutants were unveiled?" Jesse asks. At Locke's nod he continues. "Kurt was the blue fuzzy guy. The smaller one."
"I remember seeing that report!" Katie exclaims.
"I remember you saying he was cute," Locke teases his sister, making her blush.
Jesse snickers. "Well Katie, if you want to try and seduce Kurt you'll have competition. His hearts already taken, and we're currently working on a plan to get him back into her parents' good graces. Another mutant showed up at the dinner where he was being introduced to them and wrecked the place. They still see each other in secret from her parents, but its not easy. One slip-up and her parents may try a restraining order. But Kurt really does care about Amanda. I'm almost positive the poor boy's in love."
Logan chuckles. He'd heard Kurt go on and on about Amanda. To be sure, the elf needed someone like that to lift his spirits. Rogue may have been his adopted sister but she wasn't the uplifting type. And he'd been happy with her until that incident with Toad. Now her parents were forbidding her from seeing Kurt.
"Hey, I do have a few pictures in my wallet of some of the others," Jesse says, "anyone interested?"
After a chorus of yeses from the others Jesse takes the pictures out of his wallet and passes them around, explaining the people in the photos.
"Scott has to wear those glasses because he can't control his optic blasts. He's a bit strict, some of the younger students call him 'Mr. Military', but he's there for you when you need him. Jean there is his girlfriend. It can be pretty sickening how mushy they get around each other. Jean has telepathy and telekinesis, though her abilities are stronger than mine."
"What about you and this girl?" Josh asks, holding up a picture of just Jesse and Rogue laughing at one of Kurt's pranks on Bobby, "got a girlfriend now?"
"That's Rogue," Jesse replies evenly, "she's a lot like me, actually. She's a Goth, though not one of those depressing ones. I personally think if she could touch, she'd give it all up since she wouldn't be so isolated."
"Why can't she touch?" Lindsey asks.
"When she has skin-to-skin contact with someone, she drains them of their life force," Jesse explains, "she takes memories, physical abilities, and if they're mutants she takes their powers too. She can't control it and it all stays with her, running the risk of her losing control if she absorbs too many people without Professor Xavier creating barriers around those personalities. He's working on a way to purge those personalities, but its slow work."
"So there's nothing going on between you two?" Anna asks.
"No, why, you interested in her?" Jesse smirks, eliciting laughs from most of the others and snickers from the rest. Logan just raises an eyebrow.
Anna chokes back her own laughter. "No, but are you?"
"Honestly?" Jesse says, "no. Rogue's a great girl and all, but I don't think we could make dating work out between us. As it is, she's my best friend. Almost like another sister, to be honest."
"Have you even told your sister that you're a mutant?" Locke asks. Jesse remains silent. Locke frowns. "Have you told your mom?"
Jesse sighs. "How in the world do I start that conversation? 'Hi mom, I'm a mutant and I turned most of our family into mental vegetables'?"
"Is that what happened?" Lindsey asks softly.
Jesse nods. "My powers just exploded forth. I wiped the mind of everyone in a hundred foot radius clean, and pulled some of their memories into my head. I even have some of their nightmares now. Its terrible. At least training with Logan I can force things from my mind."
"How does that help?" Lindsey asks.
"I keep him focused on trying to avoid these," Logan smirks as he pops out his claws, startling everyone but the Locke and his family. They had seen Logan's mutation before. Logan resheathes his claws. Josh gulps. "No pretty, huh bub? You see these coming at your head your first thought is 'How do I survive?' not 'What was I dreaming about last night?'."
"Trust me, it's a great way to get things off your mind," Jesse assures them.
Jesse continues telling the others about the Institute and the other mutants, including giving a small show of his telekinesis by lifting a baseball up in the air and having it zoom around above their heads.
"I can't do much right now," Jesse explains, "but I apparently have a lot of potential because of some of my other abilities. I can See the very bonds that hold the atoms of things together, and with a lot of focus and concentration I could probably use my telekinesis to reshape those bonds or break them how I see fit."
"So you could create or destroy with ease," Locke muses, "with that guy being one of your instructors I'd think you were just gonna become a mindless grunt."
Jesse laughs as Logan growls. "No, it wasn't Logan who pointed out what I could do, it was Jean and the Professor. We're not gonna try anything until we can find a way for me to test this safely. It wouldn't do to blow everything up."
"Like that could happen," Josh states.
"It could," Locke says, "if Jesse tries to rearrange the atoms in something and doesn't get it just right, the whole thing will collapse and be just as destructive as an atomic bomb."
The group winces. Definitely not an easy ability to live with. He couldn't win. First he wiped the minds of his closest family and now it turns out that the rest of his abilities have incredible destructive potential.
"Are you doing alright up there?" Ellen asks.
"Definitely," Jesse says, "I'm accepted for who I am there. Don't get me wrong, you guys have always been great, but I didn't just fit in. At the Institute, I have something irrefutably in common with everyone. We're all mutants. There's no judging, just teasing. That's what Xavier's is: a place where mutants can be free, be themselves. Be safe."
"Then that's exactly where you should be," Locke says, "I hate to say this about you man, but you're dangerous with those powers of yours. But its good that you're learning control."
Jesse chuckles. "Yeah, I suppose I am pretty dangerous, with just any of the things I can do with my powers. But once I get them under control, I can really help people. Like people with schizophrenia. I can erect barriers within their minds to help them control their behavior. Or I could help the police interrogate felons. Or even help pull people out of comas."
"Do you think you'll be able to help your family?" Locke asks.
"I definitely hope so," Jesse says solemnly, "I definitely hope so."
As the conversation continues, it steers towards the day Jesse's powers activated.
"Jesse, how did you even convince the cops to let you go home?" Locke asks, "you know they're pretty anti-mutant. After all, Matt's dad is also on the force."
"Come to think of it, I don't know," Jesse admits, "I jus wanted to go home and lie down, maybe get a little bit to eat, but mostly get out of there."
"Jesse, do you think its possible that you somehow made the police let you go?" Locke asks, "subconsciously?"
"Maybe," Jesse admits, "I'd have to talk to the Professor about it, but it does make sense. They did say I have a broad range of abilities, and they can't tell all that I can do. But Professor Xavier can alter people's minds, erase thoughts and the like. So can Jean. They said I might be able to do that with practice. But right now I can only pick up 'loud' thoughts and move small objects. That tree branch is the heaviest thing I've ever moved, spontaneously or not."
"Its sound thinking," Logan says, "Chuck and Red know how to do that stuff and it is possible to do it without realizing it, especially if you're emotional."
"So I influenced their minds without realizing it?" Jesse gulps. Logan thought Jesse looked scared. He probably was. To know that you could influence the minds of others without realizing it, or wanting to do it, was a scary thought. Just as scary as destroying another persons mind without realizing it, and the two abilities were uncomfortably closely related.
Locke, meanwhile, felt bad for his friend. He had to go through so much since his powers activated. He had to work hard to keep his powers under control. A single slip-up could create havoc and ruin lives. It was a terrible burden to bear.
"I'm afraid so Specs," Logan answers evenly, "don't worry, Red and the Professor will straighten things out. At least you know of something else you can do."
"Yeah, great," Jesse mutters unenthusiastically.
Logan lays a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "Cheer up, Specs. At least now that we've realized that you have this ability, we can take steps to help you control it."
"Yeah yeah," Jesse sighs, "I know. Its just that this is so annoying."
"When it rains, it pours," Logan agrees, "at least its only suspected that you're a mutant back in Bayville. Otherwise it would be a lot harder to maintain your composure kid."
"Yeah, but some of the teachers sure don't let up," Jesse replies, "bigoted piece of garbage."
"He's just trying to force you to do something," Logan reminds the teen, "just ignore him if you can."
Jesse snorts. "Well, I can't completely tune him out like I do those idiot jocks. I do have to listen to him to learn, after all."
"It's a shame that the minds of so many people are closed to mutants," Ellen says.
"The world would be a better place if people were more open-minded about those who are different," Jesse agrees, "but, people fear what they don't understand, and they try to destroy what they fear. It's human nature."
"Things are bound to get better," Locke assures his friend, "after all, we got by racism against blacks in the Sixties, didn't we?"
"True, but mutants don't just differ because of the color of their skin," Jesse counters, "some don't even have skin, or they may have an exoskeleton or even fur. Mutants can literally come in all shapes and sizes, any skin tone imaginable and probably some that aren't. And besides, it took nearly a century for things to change."
"Nothing worth having is easy to obtain," Locke quotes.
They talk for a few more minutes before Logan speaks up.
"Specs, we gotta go. Chuck probably wants us back soon. Remember, we gotta leave tonight so by Thursday you'll be ready to go back to school."
"Guess this is goodbye for now guys," Jesse says. The girls hug him as they walk with him to his car and he shakes hands with the guys, Logan climbs onto his motorcycle and revs it up.
"Don't forget to call," Locke reminds his friend.
"As if I could," Jesse grins, "don't worry, I won't forget you guys."
"Take care Jesse," Katie says as she gives him another hug before he climbs into his car
"Well, bye all," Jesse says as he starts up his car. With a final wave, he pulls out of the parking lot and heads for where the X-jet was located, Logan right behind him on his motorcycle.
Xavier was waiting for the two of them when they arrived. Politely asking how the party had gone, Xavier felt relief when he discovered that Jesse's friends hadn't, for the most part, shunned him because he was a mutant. Matt's attitude was regretful, but it couldn't be helped. Some people would just never accept mutants. Ray's parents had turned him out, Kurt was shunned by nearly everyone he met when not using his holowatch if not outright attacked, Jean had had her trophies taken away, and the Morlocks were shunned by all of society, both for being homeless and for being mutants. But Xavier and his students were working to change the world, to make it so that everyone was accepted equally, were judged under the same laws.
As Logan loads the vehicles into the X-Jet, Xavier showed Jesse the basics of the controls for the plane. It would take months for him to fully learn how to fly the X-Jet, but it wasn't like he needed to learn right away.
The flight back to Bayville was uneventful. Logan continued to show Jesse how to pilot the X-Jet, though he didn't let the teen actually pilot it. He told him after he clocked at least ten successful hours in the simulator he could actually give the X-Jet a try.
"Don't even think about taking a joyride in the X-Jet," Logan warns.
"Someone actually did that?" Jesse chuckles, "lemme guess: Bobby."
Logan snorts. "He nearly wrecked the jet. He did wreck the X-Van."
"Yes, if it weren't for Kitty and Lance, they would have crashed the X-Jet," Xavier agrees.
"Lance?" Jesse asks, "he used to stay at the Institute?"
"He got sick of the Brotherhood and gave it a try," Logan replies, "I will admit though, the only ones who actually gave him a shot were Half-Pint and Red. After the X-Jet incident, he went back to the Brotherhood. But it did make sense. He and Scott just clashed too much."
"But he has been invited to return if he ever changes his mind," Xavier adds, "but I think he stays with the Brotherhood to keep them from getting into too much trouble. Trouble they would make worse by using their powers."
"It wouldn't surprise me with anything they do," Jesse says, "unless they go on the straight and narrow. They have the attitude of thugs, and I don't think that's gonna change anytime soon, if at all. It's sad, really. They could do so much with their abilities. Well, maybe not Todd. That guy seriously needs a shower."
Logan snorts in amusement. The amphibious mutant was always a strain on his nose whenever he was near. He did admit that Jesse's assessment of the Brotherhood was spot-on. Pietro could do wonders in most any job field he wanted to enter with his speed. Fred (Blob) could do so much with excavation/exploration with his near-invulnerability as well as his strength. Lance could work I excavation as well, or even off-set volcanic eruptions or earthquakes with his powers, by creating mini-quakes periodically to ease the stress and keep a large quake from occurring. Wanda, well, there was no telling what she could do. Todd, though, it did look like he had received a dud of a power from his X-gene.
The rest of the trip passes with nothing more than Logan explaining the finer details of piloting the X-Jet, what various switches did as well as tips on piloting in general. Jesse did seem interested, buy not thrilled with the idea as Bobby was, or Kurt had been. More like Scott or jean, like it was a duty to be performed. Logan supposed it made sense. Jesse was the oldest of the New Mutants by several months, with Tabitha being the next oldest but all of the others being half a year younger at the least. Of course, Kitty was one of the X-Men and she was only a Junior.
Bobby was the designated leader of the New Mutants, but that didn't mean he would keep the position. None of the other New Mutants had the temperament to be a leader, not even Jesse who plainly stated that he was either a follower who voiced his own opinion or a loner.
As Logan guides the X-Jet into the hanger, he chuckles to himself. Tomorrow he was going to put Jesse through a session in the Danger Room, only this time he would be going in with the other New Mutants. It would be Jesse's first team exercise.
"Well Specs, we'll get your car up to the garage later," Logan informs the teenage mutant, "for now, stow your gear in you room and report to the Danger Room for a testing of your abilities. Tomorrow we'll give you a full run-through."
Jesse groans but does as the feral mutant says.
Xavier gives Logan a quizzical look after Jesse leaves. "Logan, what are you planning? Isn't that a bit much for him to do?"
"He'll be with the other New Mutants," Logan answers, "he showed good enough intuition with that falling branch to show that he's ready, at least for a lower level exercise."
"Indeed he did," Xavier agrees, "just don't push him too far too fast."
"Charles, what do you think of Jesse's attitude here at the Institute?" Logan asks suddenly.
Xavier frowns, but answers after thinking for a moment. "He's friendly with the other students, especially Rogue, Scott, and Kurt, and he is diligent in whatever duties we assign him. He's doing well in school and his training as well. He seems to be coping well from his ordeal with his family."
"I don't think he is at all," Logan states. At Xavier's surprised look, he explains. "I was talking to his former youth director and she said that he seemed totally different. Now, aside from the guilt we expected when we first explained things to him, he has acted the same way as long as we have known him. And it's this attitude, I was told, that seemed totally different from what his former youth group knew. Charles, he fit in there a lot like Rogue did here at first. Something is not right, and I got a bad feeling that it's just gonna get worse."
Xavier steeples his fingers and sighs, contemplating this new information. "Jesse guards his mind well, especially his feelings. No one here is an empathy, and Jean and I can only get glimpses of very strong emotion. We'll just have to keep our eyes open and be prepared for anything. I will inform Ororo and Hank to the situation as well."
"You do that Charles," Logan says, "meanwhile we'll just have to hope for the best. It might be wise to inform Rogue, Scott, and the elf to the problem as well. They can keep a better eye on him that we can without being overly intrusive."
"Let's just hope that its Jesse's real personality that we're seeing now and not something he's created to keep from dealing with the pain," Xavier says sadly. Beyond being there for him, there wasn't much they could do for Jesse.
-
Review responsesAaron: Jesse/Wanda? I can't see it. That and I really don't know much about her. Jesse's gonna be in need of someone full of life and peppy before this story is done (and no, not Kitty. She's a great character but she's TOO peppy). And Wanda is too emotional and Jesse's not the right kind of person to help her through her and she'll need help that Jesse won't be able to give other than be someone to talk to. Not only that, 'things they have in common'? Like what? Wanda was in an asylum for years, and Jesse had to go through the torment of having a large family. And since I plan on trying to bring some of the themes from the mainstream Marvel comics to this story, such as the Friends of Humanity, and as much as I hate to admit it the South, which is where Jesse is from, is a veritable breeding ground for bigotry, there'll too many other things happening for Jesse to get a girlfriend. I'm strictly saving that for the sequel (or the sequel's sequel since I'm hoping for a series or trilogy here) but I will try to keep Jesse's options open. Oh, and I already have Jesse's code name picked, and while I agree most names like that are derived from their powers, Jesse's is not. Any other character I've developed so far for this story is code-named like that, but not him because I just plain like what I plan to give him. But it will fit him. And by bringing in Spider-Man, I really meant how is he gonna exist. I could do the movieverse, minus Spider-Man 2 since that took place a few years later and it hasn't been more than a year since mutants were unveiled, or I could do just general knowledge since I know next to nothing about the comics (just the old cartoon. Not the MTV one but the one that appeared on FOX and is currently on Jetix).
Agent-G: Yeah, I noticed a lot of my mistakes as soon as I started reading other X-Men: Evolution fics like yours. I could say this is A/U but that would mean that all four seasons happened in a single year, since Kitty was a Freshman when the show started and Kurt was at least a Sophomore. And I think this chapter will explain why the authorities let Jesse go. And I'll be working on corrections for a while yet, including when I reload the chapters and make the format corrections. And Jesse is sorta reacting the way Wolverine's healing factor does when he goes through an overly traumatic event (what happened to Logan's family, what happened to his first love, Weapon X, when he got the adamantium ripped off of his skeleton by Magneto in the comics, when he became Apocalypse's Horseman of Death in the comics) only instead of a mutant healing factor healing his mind, he's just burying the memories. They'll come out eventually, but not for a while, and I can guarantee it won't be pretty. A chapter or two from now (which will be a few months within the story, just before or just after Christmas). And thanks for the site! It was hard navigating since my computer hates Javascript (or any link that requires a new window to be opened. I so need to upgrade this thing), but its been very helpful.
Now everyone, repeat after me: all hail That place has nearly everything you'd need to write a Marvel fic. It has bios on almost every character to EVER appear in a Marvel comic, including which issue they first appeared, which issues for different versions of that character, power description, a basic physical description (namely just eyes, hair, height) and usually a picture. Some, namely major characters like Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Rogue have multiple pictures. They also have info on teams, various alien races, and a veritable dictionary of Marvel stuff. I've found info needed on several characters that I plan to introduce, and info on characters already in X-Men: Evolution that I want to put in (mostly Wolverine, but also other characters). I plan for this to be the first part of a trilogy, and I hope to get at least twenty, hopefully thirty, chapters a fic, with over 100,000 words a story as well.
And seriously people, go read Agent-G's stuff! He's a genius! Especially compared to me. His only weakness is grammar, but he's gotten a LOT better since he started.
As I said in the last chapter, Jesse will have one psionic ability stronger than his other abilities. I would like some reader input as to what you think he should have. Once again, the choices are:
1. Telepathy (can penetrate any mental barrier and will even be able to help Logan sort his memories)
2. Telekinesis (basically, he can shred matter with a thought by severing molecular bonds and create virtually solid barriers that can stop most anything short of a high-end missile)
3. Psionic bolts (can gather free energy floating around in the air and chuck it out in concussive blasts with relative ease. If you're a fan of Dragon Ball Z, think Vegeta. This will give him slightly enhanced telekinesis as well)
4. Astral projection (his astral projected body will be able to interact physically if this is the one)
5. Memory altering/mind control (basically, think Mastermind with what he did to Wanda and Mesmero with what he did to the X-Men and Gambit)
6. Astral plane (basically he's one heck of a badass on the astral plane, where the powers of the mind are the ONLY powers viable, plus the mystic arts. He can pull others to the astral plane whether they could get there on their own or not including non-psionics and pull others from it. He can also completely transform his body into an astral form, making him sortof like a ghost, or maybe a poltergeist)
7. Sight (can see into the future, the past, and the present with the utmost clarity, or at least as much clarity as you can get with the future; will also have a danger sense like Spider-Man's, only it works for anyone in his immediate vicinity that he feels responsible for)
Well, I hope everyone who reads this reviews, to tell me what they think. I'd love to hear from you. It might make me get the enxt chapter out quicker.