Disclaimer: "So you dash in, guns blazing, sweep Miss Kitty off her feet, and get the hell outta Dodge!" "You mean New York, right?" "You sure know how to ruin a moment, kid."

(An: Yeah, I was very surprised by how easily this wrote... it's scary. And now we get to more... with Forge! The streelights have outlets in Neillsville... well, some of them, anyway. It was handy, ok?)

BACKING UP A BIT, WITH MORPH AND WARLOCK LAST NIGHT...

Morph hadn't realized just how many people were out this time of night. He was constantly covering for Warlock. He dragged him into a back alley. "Ok, 'Lock, buddy, we're gonna have to figure out a way to get you to be less conspicious, seriously, 'cause trust me- looking weird, with current events, is not the best course."

Warlock, blinked, cocked his head, and shapeshifted into a normal-looking human. "Query: is this more suitable?"

"...Dude, why didn't you mention you could do that?"

"Self-Friend Morph did not ask."

"...You sure you've no knowledge of cartoons?"

"Query: what is a 'cartoon'?"

"Just checking, man," said Morph. "C'mon, let's go get pastries!"

He dragged Warlock off before he could ask what a pastry was.

PRESENT TIME...

It was almost noon. Morph decided it was time to leave. But what do I do with this guy? I've only got enough for one bus ticket into the next town... and I am not staying here...

Morph propped his chin on his fist, absently listening to Warlock's gabble.

"And the tech!" Warlock exclaimed. "Self-Friend Morph's planet is so... obsolete compared to Kvch (1)... it is almost refreshing!" He took out a little piece of wiring he'd found and began to play with it. "Query: Self-Friend Morph's people still use wires?" He stretched it and peered at it curiously. "Strange... certainly Self-Friend Morph's people would've invented something better..."

"We do... they're just not very reliable," Morph responded absently. He'd gotten a brain spark at "invented." Who was that one guy Kurt was always going on about? With the arm? "Forge!"

"...query: who is Forge?" Warlock asked, pausing in his rant.

"The answer to our problems, buddy boy," Morph replied, rubbing his hands together and beaming.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER...

It wasn't very hard finding Forge in the phonebook, and his house was easy to spot, it being the only one with a giant superlab for its basement. "They list his house number as being 405... but it goes from 403 to 407..." Morph murmured.

"Self believes Self sees it," Warlock said. He pointed at a bead curtain by the garage door. A sign tacked to it read "405."

"Good eyes, man, good eyes," Morph said, starting for it.

Warlock drifted along in his wake, avidly inspecting the house.

Morph knocked on the paneling next to the curtain. "I'm back here!" came a voice.

Morph and Warlock walked through, and into a room that, if it hadn't been for the brand-new computer and stereo, could've been mistaken for a bunker from the seventies.

A drawn-out guitar solo stopped abruptly. "Hi!"

Morph jumped about a foot as a guy with black hair tucked under a tie-dyed bandana and a robotic arm emerged from the depths of the room... right next to him. Moprh grinned, embarrassed. "Uh, hi there."

"So... who are you?" Forge asked, picking up something on one of the tables and messing with it.

"Uh, I'm Morph," said Morph, dropping his normal human shape.

Forge gave him a suspicious look. "Where're you from?"

Morph blinked.

"I have to check- I don't do government work."

"...I'm from the Institute..."

"Oh, well all right then, why didn't you say so?" Forge beamed at him and went back to whatever he'd been working on. "What can I do you for?"

"Look, Forge. Warlock here needs a place to crash."

"So take him to the Institute," Forge responded.

"Long story, can't. And I think you'd be interested, being a supergenius and all." Morph nudged Warlock. "You can go back to normal now, bud."

Warlock changed back to his normal alien form. "Hello, Self-Friend," he chirped.

Forge dropped the thing he was holding. "...HOLY CRAP!"

"That's what I said."

"What... what is it?"

"It's not an it," Morph replied, putting his hands on his hips, "he's Warlock."

"Actually Self's people are asexual," Warlock pointed out.

"Gender-biased language, bud, to me, you're a guy," Morph said, waving a hand at him. "Anyway, Lock's an alien, so I figured what with you being the local scientist dude, you'd take him on."

"You aren't serious," Forge said, shaking his head. "This is TOO weird."

"It's true!" Morph said, and Warlock nodded.

"Self is from the Technarchian race," said Warlock.

"So... you want to stay with me?" Forge inquired of Warlock, who nodded.

"Self-Friend Morph would like to 'ditch the scene' and cannot do so with Self," Warlock explained, seeming a bit saddened.

"Well, all right then," said Forge, grinning.

"Ah, just one more thing," said Morph, holding up a finger and grinning nervously. "I have a feeling the X-men are going to come looking for me- if they come here, could you do me a favor-"

"You were never here, got it," Forge said. He seemed far more interested in inspecting Warlock than listening to Morph.

"THANK you," Morph sighed. He saluted and ducked out.

AT THE INSTITUTE...

Xavier steepled his fingers, listening to the other X-men. "So our newest student has left," he murmured. "This is good to know, but if Morph wants to leave..." He shrugged. "It's really his decision. He came here of his own free will, so he can leave of his own accord as his well."

"But-" said Rogue.

"It's his pregative, Stripes," Logan interrupted. "If the kid wants to go, he can go. We ain't keepin' him here. Now move it. End of discussion."

The X-men walked out, Rogue hanging back with Kurt.

"So," Kurt whispered. "Where do we start?"

"Start what?" Rogue replied, overly innocent.

"Looking for him."

Rogue glanced around for a moment, then leaned in. "Ah say the park."

Kurt nodded. "After school?"

"After school it is."

(That's that... blegh, I have not had any time to just sit down and write this.)

(1) The official name of Warlock's homeworld. Referred to by this... about never.