"…and while voting amongst the UN security council goes on, the newly elected President of the United States continues his opposition to the proposal for total world-wide nuclear disarmament. The proposal, headed by the French and the Germans, outlines plans to dismantle all existing nuclear weapons and ban any further production. At this moment only Great Britain remains on America's side, and it's rumoured our long-time allies are feeling shaky on this one. And, I'm sure nobody needs reminding about the nuclear holocaust narrowly avoided by the human race no more than a month ago. While it's still unclear where and who that threat was coming from – rumours persist that mutants were involved – it has certainly increased the public's fear and mistrust of keeping nuclear weapons, even for purely defensive purposes."
"I don't understand it," said Neil, as the news program paused for an advert break. "After everything that happened last month, after the Apocalypse mutants nearly wiped out everything on Earth, I can't believe anybody still wants to trust in nuclear weapons."
"Nuclear disarmament was one of his election promises, too," said Storm.
"Can the proposal still go through without our support?" asked Rogue.
"No," Cyclops responded. "If America and Britain continue to vote against the proposal, they can block it."
"It's madness," Neil sighed. "There simply isn't a conceivable scenario in which a civilised country would launch a nuclear weapon. For that reason alone, we shouldn't have them."
"I think most people would agree with that. But you've got to think of the possibility that some rogue state or terrorist group manages to construct a nuke of their own. If nobody else has any, that puts them in a position of frightening power."
"I don't agree with that. Anyone who's demented enough to threaten us with nuclear terrorism isn't going to be persuaded out of his madness, no matter how many of the damn things we have on our side. Any super-weapon that can be turned against us is more of a danger than it is a safeguard."
"Yeah, like your son for example," Shapeshifter muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Chloe shifted uncomfortably, "I can't help but wonder what the Professor might have done in this position. Wouldn't he have talked to the President, tried to convince him that we should abandon nuclear weapons and strive for peace?"
Nobody said anything. The group fell silent as the news program restarted:
"Here's a story just in. A major terrorist attack has been thwarted in the heart of New York City. Three as-yet-unidentified men, armed with several hundred pounds of plastic explosive, opened fire on crowds in the city centre just before noon. While it's still not known what their motives were, or how they were stopped, early reports suggest the involvement of three or more mutants. Here is a piece of footage from the scene, taken by a bystander with a video camera."
The senior X-Men watched as the footage appeared on screen. It wasn't in focus and the image was shaky, but they could make out well enough what was going on. A van was on its side and behind it crouched the three terrorists. On the right hand side of the screen a figure wearing blue could be seen approaching them.
"That's Gemini!" someone exclaimed. "Pyro, that's your – "
"What's she doing?"
The terrorists opened fire, and the figure was thrown to the ground in a hail of bullets.
"NO!" came a scream.
Pyro was on his feet, his eyes wide with horror. The camera zoomed in on the figure, wearing a blue dress, clearly Gemini, and clearly dead.
"I'll kill them!" he roared. "I'll kill them! I don't care where they are, I'll find them and fucking kill them!"
His hand was already reaching for his lighter and he was heading for the door when a figure appeared in his way.
"Cool down," said Iceman, putting out a hand to stop his friend. "Your daughter isn't stupid enough to run straight at armed gunmen without good reason. Think about it. That would have been her double."
Pyro turned to look back at the TV screen. He could see Vertigo flipping over to disarm the gunmen, and he watched as the third man picked up one of the fallen weapons.
"Look!"
There she was. She was all right. It had been her twin. The real Gemini ran in from the side to grab hold of the terrorist and knock the gun away from him. Vertigo struggled with him for a moment, and succeeded in knocking him out. Police sirens could be heard, and Vertigo and Gemini disappeared into the crowd. Pyro sagged with relief.
"Oh, thank God…thank God," he whispered, then he looked at the others. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry. I just lost it. I thought that she was – that she'd been – "
"It's all right. We understand."
"Yeah. Well, I'm gonna go and, uh, yeah. See you later."
He headed for the door and was gone. The newsreader went on, "So far no terrorist organisation has come forward to claim responsibility for the attempted attack. That in itself is rather unusual, as these terror groups are normally only too happy to publicise their deeds and their agendas. More on that story when we have it. Now, in other news…"
Neil frowned. Nobody had claimed responsibility. The newsreader was right, that was odd. He said so to the others.
"Well, the attack failed, didn't it?" said Chris. "Presumably nobody wants to associate themselves with a failed attempt."
"They'll usually come forward even when it doesn't go as planned," said Neil. "They'll say something like 'this is what we're capable of, next time you won't be so lucky'."
"So what are you saying?" somebody asked.
"That whoever organised this must be keeping themselves hidden for some reason. And that makes them dangerous. If we can't see where a threat is coming from, we can't stop it."
"Or you could just be trying to read too much into this," said Wolverine. "It could have just been three crazy guys who decided to blow themselves and a lot of other people to hell."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. The simplest explanation is usually the right one. There's no point in looking for a more complex one."
"Neil, you're always seeing threats that aren't there," Fliss teased him. "I bet you see them even when you look in the mirror each morning."
"I suppose I always assume the worst," Neil admitted, then sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am trying to read too deeply into this."
Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask Gemini about it when she got back. He was glad that the girl was safe, and Vertigo too. He was still unsure of them, given their former allegiance, but they were only children, whose only crime was being misled.
-
-
-
Pyro didn't stop until he got back to his room. Closing the door behind him, finally alone, he put his head in his hands and tried to get himself under control.
I thought she was dead. I thought Gemini was dead just like Jacqueline. I thought they were both dead. I thought…
His eyes strayed to the little framed photograph on his bookcase, the only memento he had of his beloved.
I cursed her, he thought, I cursed her unto death. I told her I loved her and she died seconds later. I cursed her. I killed her. My curse, my love killed her. Anybody I love is cursed to die. Gemini is cursed too. She almost died today. The curse struck her twin instead. Next time she won't be so lucky.
"Oh get a grip of yourself," he muttered, trying to stop his imaginings from growing more and more bizarre.
He knew he didn't believe what he had just been thinking. Of course he didn't carry a curse. No. That was just stupid. But the horror he had just felt, watching helplessly on the TV screen as his daughter's body was torn apart by bullets…he hadn't felt like that since then. Since the day Jacqueline had…since she had…since the day her life and his love had ended. The horror, the helplessness, the overwhelming agony of thinking: I can't save her…even with all my powers, I can't save her…it's too late…it's too late…
Too late. In the books or the movies it was never too late. People never lost their true loves in fiction. There was always some miraculous event at the climax, that restored the dying to life. This wasn't fiction. This was real life. He should have been able to do something. He should have been able to save her. He should have been able to kiss her and say goodbye one last time. He shouldn't have had to live with the agony of seventeen years of wondering what might have been. The others downstairs, they said they understood, but how could they? They didn't know what it was like to lose a loved one. They didn't understand a fucking thing. Nobody understands the pain I feel.
He took a deep breath and let his hands drop to his sides, his eyes taking in the sunlight that streamed through the window. Outside the sun was bright and the sky was blue, but it brought him no pleasure. He pushed his grief away, silenced his resentment, and in their place a resolve grew: a stern, steely resolve to do anything and everything in his power to protect his daughter from the danger he hadn't been able to protect Jacqueline from. There was no way to go back in time and prevent his love's death. All he could do was stop the same thing happening to the only person he now loved. Nothing mattered now except Gemini.
-
-
-
Gary cursed as he stumbled over something just inside the door. Getting to his feet, he turned to see Annie following him inside, a slightly amused smile on her face, with Marina just behind her.
"Don't fall over yourself with eagerness now," Marina said, then turned away nervously.
Annie and Gary exchanged a delighted glance. Marina had never told a joke before. This was another good sign that she was recovering. Both of them smiled in response to her, and she smiled back, her confidence boosted by the success of her attempted witticism.
"I'm sorry Marina, but this place is a mess. Don't you ever tidy up around here?" Gary asked. "Hey, relax, that was a joke."
"I know."
Brother and sister took their first look at the interior of Marina's house. The word 'mess' didn't begin to describe it. Furniture was on its side, the wallpaper was torn, doors were off their hinges, and books and papers were scattered about everywhere. They knew nobody had been living here for a while, but surely it wouldn't have sunk into this level of disrepair so quickly.
"This is awful," said Annie. "How long has it been since somebody was here?"
"Not that long," said Marina. "Something's – something's wrong. The house looked nothing like this when – when we left that morning. It wouldn't have gotten this messy over time – would it?"
"No, it wouldn't," Annie and Gary said.
Marina blinked in surprise. She was still getting used to the way they often responded in unison. She was still afraid of the fact that they were different from the people they'd once been, and were still changing. She didn't want to lose her two closest friends.
Gary spoke up, "We're on the coast, aren't we? Maybe a hurricane hit it."
Marina shook her head, "No, we never get s – strong winds here. And the house itself isn't damaged, just m – messy."
Annie picked up a random piece of paper from the floor as if it might offer some explanation, "Do you think this was done deliberately? Maybe someone was here ransacking the place. Burglars?"
"The TV's still here," said Gary, pointing to the corner. "Thieves would hardly ransack the place for goodies and leave the TV behind, would they?"
"No, they wouldn't," his sister agreed.
Marina had moved through to one of the adjoining rooms, and they heard her call, "The – the dining room is just as bad."
Annie ran her hand along the back of the fallen sofa, then examined her palm, "No dust. You'd think some would have settled by now. Whatever made this mess, made it recently."
"Do you think somebody came here and – and did this?" asked Marina. "Why would – why would anyone do that? I don't understand."
"Well, I don't think anyone did this for the purposes of vandalism," said Annie. "I mean, the TV is still intact. And the furniture hasn't been broken, just knocked over. No, somebody must have here looking for something – something specific. That's the only explanation for this kind of mess."
"But what? My family don't – didn't," she corrected sadly, "have anything to hide."
"Are you sure?"
"Well, if there was, they – they kept it a pretty good secret from me."
"Who all lived here?" asked Gary.
Marina looked at him, "Well, my mom and dad, me, my brother and sister, and my cousin sometimes, when he was – when he was posted at the naval base just along the coast. I, uh, I don't wanna t – talk about my family any – any more…"
"OK," said Annie gently. "Maybe there's another explanation for what happened here. Maybe somebody else moved in here and got in trouble with the police."
"How could anybody else move in here? The house is my family's – mine," said Marina. "Our lawyer wouldn't have sold the house or anything without – without talking to me first."
"What if he thought you were dead?"
"What?"
"Think about it. How many people actually know you're alive? I've looked, out of curiosity, but I've never managed to find any newspaper reports about the accident, or about the fact you survived. I think Shock and Shapeshifter adopted you as fast as they could and kept you secret."
"Why would they do that?"
"To keep you safe," said Gary. "To keep you from being labelled as a mutant. Nobody but a mutant could have survived the way you did – they obviously decided that the fewer people knew about you the better."
Marina looked at them for a moment, then she began to glance around the room, "No – no, nobody has moved in here. The house hasn't been sold on. This is still all our old furnishings and – and stuff. Let's check my room – I bet it won't have changed a bit."
They followed her upstairs and into the first room on the left.
"Oh – my room…" Marina gasped.
The small bedroom within had been ripped apart and thrown about just like the front room below. All of Marina's belongings lay broken in pieces and scattered on the floor. Her posters were ripped, her bed thrown aside, her wardrobe lying open and her clothes strewn over the floor.
"My computer," she said suddenly. "It – it's gone."
There was quite clearly a space on top of the desk where something had once sat. Marina ventured further into the room and opened one of the desk drawers.
"If the computer's gone, maybe this was the work of thieves," said Annie.
"No, look…all my jewellery is – is still here. I've got some quite expensive stuff too, one of my necklaces, it was a birthday present from my – from my uncle. It isn't even difficult to find, and – and – and nobody's taken it. This definitely wasn't a – wasn't a robbery."
"So nothing's missing – apart from your computer?" asked Annie. "Let's check the other rooms and see if anything else has been taken."
Marina nodded her agreement and she led them to the next bedroom along.
"This is – this was my brother's. My cousin would share it when he was here. It's a mess too."
The room seemed relatively bare and empty, and Gary said, "There's not much left here. What's missing?"
"Nothing. My brother was in the navy, remember. He was hardly ever home. My sister's room is – is next along."
They went through to the next room; this one was on the right hand side of the corridor. Like the others it was a complete mess, everything thrown about and scattered on the floor. Marina looked around for a moment, picking up a few items and glancing at them, then she said, "Hey – the computer's missing from here too."
Annie frowned, "Are there any other computers in the house?"
"Just one – the family one, d – downstairs."
"Let's see if it's been taken too."
They went back downstairs and Marina walked through to a room in the back. The windows on this side of the house offered a pleasant view of the ocean, and Marina smiled slightly as she stood for a moment and watched the blue surface rippling on the never-ending horizon. Then she remembered why they had come in here, and said, "Yeah – the computer in here's gone too. This was our – this was our study. This was where my mom and dad would – would come to use the computer."
"So all the computers in the house have been taken," said Gary. "And you're absolutely sure nothing else is gone?"
"Well, I – I can't be certain right away, but – well, I haven't noticed anything else missing. A lot of valuable stuff is still here. And – and our computers weren't that expensive anyway. Mine and Helena's – that's my sister – were old, second-hand ones."
"So it must be something specific to do with the computers," said Annie.
"Was somebody starting a computer company?" Gary said dryly.
"I doubt it. More likely they were looking for information stored on the machines' hard drives. They must have searched the whole house trying to find this information, and finally decided it had to be on the computers. That would explain why the rooms were torn apart the way they were, but nothing was taken."
"But what would they be looking for?" asked Marina. "There's – there's nothing important on my computer. Just essays and games and stuff."
"There must be something," Gary said. "Nobody would go to this length to find something unless they were certain it was here."
"Do you think they found it – whatever it was – and then left?"
Annie looked at the empty desk surface once more, "There's no way to tell, unless we can work out what it was they wanted. We know it's information of some kind, because they took the computers. Marina, what did your family do for a living?"
"Uh – my mom was a diving instructor. She also worked as a volunteer for – for the Coast Guard. My dad – my dad ran a boat charter service. My brother was – was in the navy, like I said. My sister was a student."
"What did she study?"
"Marine biology."
Gary raised her eyebrows, "Your family really did love the water, didn't they?"
"Yes. I – I think that's why I was born the way I am. Whatever it is that's causing humans to mutate, maybe some quirk of evolution, must have given a water-mutated baby to a family who spent almost their entire lives on or under the sea. Or I dunno, maybe I'm just crazy thinking there's some 'force' controlling these things."
"I think He's called God," said Annie.
"Yeah – yeah, I guess. So – what about my family? What's the connection with this break-in?"
"What about your brother?" said Gary. "What exactly did he do in the navy? Maybe foreign spies broke in here to access some sensitive information he'd been entrusted with, like the blueprints of a new design of warship or something."
Marina shook her head, "No, he didn't do anything in research or design. He was a radio operator – well, before his promotion anyway. He died the very next day after he became an officer. They – they all died," her voice shook a little.
"Marina…" said Annie softly. "Be strong. I'm sorry we have to keep reminding you of your – of what happened."
Marina turned away sadly and went back through into the front room. Gary made as if to follow her, but Annie put a gentle hand on his arm and telepathed silently, I think she needs to be alone for a moment or two.
"Maybe you're right," he said quietly. "So what do you think? About all this? Who tore the house apart?"
"I don't know. Your theory about spies was a good one, and it's still worth considering. It's possible her brother had some more secretive role in the navy than she knows about."
"Should we tell somebody what's happened? The police?"
Annie bit her lip, "It makes sense, but I feel reluctant. I don't know why. I just don't feel as if we should trust anybody. I can't explain why I feel that way…I've been uneasy all day. This dream I had last night…"
"A dream? What was it about?"
"It's slipping away; I can't remember it so clearly now…it had something do with a nuclear missile strike. Yes, I remember now. I was overlooking a city – I didn't recognise it – and I saw it struck by a nuclear missile. The city was destroyed and millions died. I don't know why it's bothering me so much; I've had worse dreams before."
"I have nightmares just like that as well," he said. "I always assumed it was just some sort of hangover from the Horsemen."
"So did I, but it keeps recurring. I can't help but worry that it means something."
"Like what?"
"What if it's a vision?"
"A what?"
"You know. A vision. A premonition. A warning."
Gary shook his head, "That's Cassandra's department, not ours. We can't see the future like she can."
"What if it's just a one-off? What if it's a warning that what happened in our dreams is going to happen some time in the near future, unless we stop it?"
"A warning? From who?"
"From God."
He raised his eyebrows, "Why would God tell us what's going to happen in the future?"
"So we can stop it. We are the most powerful beings on Earth, Gary."
"Why would God waste His time warning us about something He could easily stop by Himself?"
"I guess He works in mysterious ways. I don't know, maybe I'm way off the mark here. It sounds crazy but it's possible. I mean, we should at least consider it, in case our dream is going to come true."
"Point," he agreed. "Let's just worry about Marina's house for now, OK? We can tell Dad about the dream when we get home."
"Yeah. I think we can go through to her now."
They went through to the front room, where they found Marina. She had pulled the sofa back the right way up and was seated on it now. Something was resting in her lap and tears were dripping out of her eyes. The siblings got closer until they could see what she was holding. It was a framed photograph of Marina's family: father; mother (who was the spitting image of Marina); brother; sister; and Marina herself. All smiling happily at the camera, blissfully unaware of the tragedy that was due to strike. Marina looked up at the Rosiçkys, her eyes lined red and brimming with tears.
"This is the first picture I've seen – the first time I've seen them since – " she swallowed. " – since it happened. You know, sometimes I – I wish I hadn't survived. Sometimes I wish I was dead as well, so I – so I wouldn't have to feel like this."
"Marina, don't talk like that," said Gary, sitting down on the sofa beside her and putting his arm around her trembling shoulders. "You're strong. I know it's hard, but you're strong enough to get through this."
"I'm not strong…" she sobbed.
"Yes you are," he insisted. "You're fighting to recover from a terrible experience, and you're winning. You're getting better every day. You haven't gone crazy or tried to kill yourself, have you? And you know why? Because you're stronger than that."
"He's right, Marina," said Annie. "The majority of people would be doing far worse in your situation."
"I remember what I was like when I thought I had lost you," Gary said, stroking Marina's hair. "I was in danger of losing it. I nearly lost control completely. I nearly killed Annie. You've never done anything like that."
"That's different," said Marina. "You had a target to – to vent your bad feelings on. I don't. What happened to my family – to me – was just a terrible accident. There isn't anything I can do to make myself feel better."
The reasoning didn't faze him. Gary put his hands on her shoulders and faced her, "Marina, you are strong. A lot of people don't realise it, but you are. You've survived one of the worst things that could possibly happen to a person – you've survived both mentally and physically – if you can stand up to that, you can stand up to anything."
"No, you've got it all wrong. If I'm so strong, how come I end up crying all the time?"
"Because it's a natural reaction. Everybody cries when they get upset. If you don't cry then there's something wrong with you. Recyclo is the perfect example of that."
Marina looked away, "Maybe you're right. But I don't feel strong. Sometimes I feel as if I could crack at any moment."
"You won't. You'll always manage to hold together. I know you will."
He held her tightly, and Marina rested in his arms, her eyes closed and her mind trying to be at peace. Annie smiled as she saw them, then disappeared back into the computer room. She knew it was best to let them have a few minutes alone together. She knew Gary had a special bond with Marina that she could never have. A few minutes passed in peaceful silence, then Gary said softly, "Marina, we've never really talked about the future, have we?"
"What – what do you mean?"
"I mean what we want to do with our lives when we get a little older."
"I want to be with you."
He kissed the top of her head and said, "That's what I want as well. Maybe it's too early to be talking about this, but…have you ever thought about us getting married? And – and maybe having children?"
Marina snorted indignantly, but then smiled, "Men are always so keen to have babies. I bet – I bet they wouldn't be so keen if they had to have them."
Then her smile faded, as she looked at the floor and mumbled uncertainly, "That was – that was what my mom always used to say…"
Gary grinned, "I suppose it's true. But I wouldn't try to force you to have a baby if you weren't prepared to go through with it. I'd never try to force you into anything."
"Good, because I wouldn't let you."
Both of them smiled, and they kissed. Parting slightly, he whispered, "See, I told you that you were strong. You can tell the most powerful guy in the world where to get off. That proves it."
Marina giggled, her confidence boosted another notch, "Even the most powerful guy in the world can't resist a beautiful girl."
"True, very true…"
They drew together once more and kissed, a long and passionate embrace. Marina moved backwards and Gary moved forwards; before they knew what was happening she was on her back and he was on top of her, the two young mutants still kissing each other hungrily and intimately. Marina's eyes were wide and when they finally parted she gasped, "I've – I've never felt like this before…"
I have, he didn't tell her. Their bodies pressed tightly together, they kissed again. Marina could feel desire mushrooming inside of her, an unfamiliar feeling, frightening yet exhilarating, and she pulled Gary down to kiss him again. She wanted him. In a way she felt as if a long-lost part of her mind had just returned, as if it had woken after a long sleep. She was ready for anything now.
Gary had always promised himself that he would take things slowly and gently with Marina if they ever came into this kind of situation. He had always resolved that he would ensure she was ready and willing to take their relationship to a further level. He had always promised himself that he wouldn't go too fast or take advantage of her uncertainties. Unfortunately all of his resolutions and promises were not high on his list of priorities right now, as he felt the warm and sensual body of his girlfriend beneath him, feeling her heart beating rapidly and keeping time with his own. Her bare legs parted slightly and Gary found his hand slipping down towards her skirt, then under it, pushing its hem up towards her waist. Marina's breath caught in her throat as she felt his hand on her panties. He hesitated. She gasped, and pleaded in her mind: no, don't hesitate! The moment will pass!
"Uh, guys," came Annie's cautioning voice from the other room.
He gasped and she squealed as they tensed and pulled away from each other, sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, trying to make it look as if they had not been doing what they had clearly just been doing. Marina quickly tugged her skirt back down to cover her panties once more. Annie had just appeared in the doorway. She must have realised what was going on, but she made no comment. She said, "We're into the afternoon now. Obviously we won't be able to get back to New York tonight; we'll need to stay here. Let's try to do as much as we can to tidy up the house before night falls, so we've got somewhere to sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll have to buy food from somewhere."
"There's – there's a store about a – a mile down the road," said a shaken Marina.
"OK. You can take us there."
"Where are we going to sleep?" Gary asked.
"You can sleep downstairs," said Annie. "Marina and I will sleep upstairs. Let's concentrate on tidying up the front room here, and Marina's bedroom. I can grab a spare blanket and sleep on her bedroom floor. Gary, you sleep on the sofa in here."
She spoke in a no-nonsense, businesslike voice, and neither of the younger mutants argued. Annie said, "Marina, why don't you go upstairs and make a start on your room? Gary and I will start cleaning up down here and then come up and join you."
Still catching her breath, Marina tidied her disarrayed hair into place, and hurried up the stairs. Gary watched her go, then turned to Annie, "All right, where should we sta – "
She smacked him in the face, the blow enhanced by her telekinetic power, and he recoiled backwards, falling against the sofa. He felt no pain, but the shock of the attack had stunned him. Touching his cheek, Gary arose and asked in a hurt voice, "What was that for?"
"You know exactly what that was for," Annie snapped angrily. "Have you any idea what you almost did just there?"
"Hey, that was none of your business!"
"Of course it was! If you're going to take advantage of a traumatised girl and risk making her pregnant, then it is very much my business!"
Part of him wanted to react angrily, but another part of him, the part that was changing into Annie, knew she was right. He sighed and looked away, "Do you think she would have got – "
It was his own anger that was flowing through Annie's veins as she snapped, "How should I know? A girl her age shouldn't have to worry about that. Gary, don't touch her like that again. I mean it. It could send the two of you out of control. It could damage her mind beyond any possible recovery."
"Hey, I didn't exactly hold her down and – and force her or anything. She wanted it as much as I did. I could read her feelings."
"That doesn't matter. Gary, for her sake, just don't. If Marina gets too excited, she might not consider the consequences, and she'll react irrationally. The same is true for you. She isn't ready. Now, you're not sleeping in her room tonight because I don't think it's safe. Please, Gary, I'm not doing this just to spoil your fun. I'm doing it because it's best for Marina. And besides, you know you shouldn't have sex until you're married, don't you?"
"Well, yeah…"
"Let's start tidying this place up."
-
-
-
Although she did not realise it, Cassandra had become practically a mother to the youngest child in the school. The little girl in question was six years old, and she had been quite literally left on the school's doorstep by persons unknown. They had discovered her there one morning, along with a small bag containing clothes and a few other possessions, and a letter. The letter, written by the child's parents, had explained that they were no longer prepared to care for their mutant daughter, and they hoped she could be looked after here. It was unsigned, and gave the girl's name only as Phoebe. Parents abandoning mutant children wasn't uncommon, but how this girl's parents had found out about the school was anyone's guess. Word must have got around.
Attempts to track down Phoebe's family had proved unsuccessful, leaving the school with little choice but to adopt her into their studentship. Naturally the teachers were curious to learn exactly what powers the child possessed. They assumed that her abandonment had come as a result of a sudden manifestation of her powers in front of her unsuspecting family. Gentle questioning revealed, however, that Phoebe herself had no idea what she had done. All she could remember was some kind of 'dizzy spell' when she had suddenly lost consciousness. When she had come to, her family were in a terrified state of shock, and the next thing she knew she was being bundled into the car on her way here.
It had taken another couple of weeks before they had their first insights into the mysterious abilities Phoebe possessed. Cassandra had feared the worst when one night she'd heard the sound of screaming suddenly coming from the youngest children's dormitory. Rushing to the scene, she'd found the kids huddled together in the corner, each of them in shock, too scared to speak. The only exception was Phoebe, who lay pale and unmoving on her bed, and made no response when she was gently shaken. Cassandra had gone to check she was OK. To her disbelief and horror, she found that the little girl was dead. How could this have happened? How could Phoebe be dead? What could have happened to her? Cassandra couldn't believe that the tiny child had died before her life had even properly begun. This was the worst thing she could imagine. In her wildest nightmares she could not conceive of anything more horrifying than a little child dying. Unable to handle the maelstrom of shock and distress that welled up inside her, she was sobbing and screaming herself. This only made the other children even more upset, and matters did not calm down until some of the adults arrived.
A few minutes later in her own bedroom, recovering from the shock, Cassandra was given good news: Phoebe was not dead. The other children had finally calmed down enough to explain what had scared them, and the mystery of Phoebe's powers was solved. After a series of childish descriptions of monsters, ghosts, giant snakes and other horrors, it soon became clear what was going on. Somehow, presumably inadvertently, Phoebe had been projecting these terrifying images into the other kids' minds. This also explained why Cassandra had found the girl apparently dead. That too had been an illusion, an illusion of Cassandra's very worst fear: the death of a child she loved. Presumably the same thing had happened to Phoebe when she was with her family – projecting their most terrifying fears into their minds – and they had been too afraid to keep her any more.
Of course, Phoebe was too young to understand the reasons why she had been abandoned by her family. As children often did in these circumstances, she assumed that she must have done something very wrong to make her parents disown her. Guilt combined with sadness led her to spend most of her time in silence and solitude. It had taken some time for her to realise that the school was now her home, and she would not be going back to her parents. In a way, it was best that she had been brought here. With her unstable and terrifying power, there was no way she could have lived with humans until she learned to control it.
It hadn't taken a lot of imagination for a child named Phoebe, who had the ability to project fear, to take the nickname Phobia. The obvious problem was that since she had no way of controlling her seemingly spontaneous power, it was going to seriously disrupt her life and the lives of those around her. In class, or during meals, or at night, her powers began to randomly activate, each time creating a mass of screaming and terrified children. It was starting to get to the point where the other kids would refuse to sit near her, and were demanding that she sleep in a separate room at night. She found herself sitting alone at meal times and shunned when the others were playing. Many of the other children would run away the moment they saw her. The teachers were also becoming tired of classes continually being disrupted and thrown into chaos by her inability to control her power. As their frustration grew, some of the adults began to see her as a burden they wished had never come to them. It was simply impossible for anyone to live with her. For the sake of the other children, some were suggesting that Phoebe be taught on a solitary basis. This only served to upset the unhappy child even more, and she drew further and further into herself, rarely speaking and often crying because she had no idea what was happening to her, and why nobody liked her.
Cassandra's maternal instincts had kicked in, and she had taken the troubled little girl under her wing. Her powers of foresight enabled her to predict when Phoebe might suddenly project frightening images, and she was able to react in time to avoid being terrified. She soon discovered that Phoebe's mental projections only affected her when she was actually looking at the little girl. If she couldn't see Phoebe, the images wouldn't come. If she looked away while Phoebe's power was active, she wouldn't be affected. Patiently she encouraged the child to try and identify sensations that might warn when her power was about to activate, so that Phoebe might be able to give a warning to those around her, so that they could look away from her and not be touched by the mental images. The only thing Phoebe knew was that sometimes she became dizzy and passed out, and when she woke everyone was screaming. It took practice, but soon she was able to announce that she was about to 'go dizzy' and anyone in the vicinity would make sure to look the other way. Obviously this was still a major obstacle to leading a normal life, but the teachers hoped that with time and training she would be able to harness her powers and use them at will, instead of them firing off randomly.
By this time, Cassandra was virtually a substitute mother for the increasingly lonely and unsettled child. Phoebe had even called her 'Mommy' once or twice by mistake. But having somebody she could lean on and talk to had given Phoebe the confidence to start settling in. Still nervous of their own experiences with her mental projections, the other kids were initially reluctant to get to know her, but once she learned how to warn them when it was coming, they gradually began to accept her. It was a natural reaction from children: when somebody new arrived, it often took time before they were fully welcomed into the established group. Now that her terrifying power was at least tamed, they were not so afraid to be with her, and everybody was glad to have life return more or less to normal. What the future would hold for little Phoebe was anybody's guess, but at least now she had been given a start towards taking hold of her life.
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His sleep was disturbed by the sound of the telephone ringing on the table beside his bed. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was 3am. Grabbing the phone on the fourth ring, he spoke irritably, "This better be important."
"Admiral, this is Watcher Delta, down at the Florida coast."
"Yes, what is it? Don't worry, this line's secure."
"I think someone's come back to the Forrester house."
This got the man's attention; he sat up in bed, turned the light on and said, "Who?"
"Three kids; two girls and a boy. At first I thought they might just be homeless kids looking for a place to spend the night, but it looks as if they plan to stay. Besides, they're too well dressed to be homeless. And sir, get this – "
"What?" he snapped impatiently.
" – I think one of them is the missing Forrester girl."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, sir! I couldn't believe it either, sir; we never found her body on the wreck but we could never track her down either. We assumed she'd been grabbed by a shark or something – "
"Stop babbling, you idiot! You know what has to be done."
"What about the other two, sir?"
"Probably best to take care of them too."
"You got it."
Watcher Delta hung up. The other man put down the phone, switched off the light, and lay down in bed once more. Not that he could sleep now. His mind raced furiously. How the hell was this possible? There was barely a square inch of the country that hadn't been searched, and there was no way she could have gotten out of the US. Where the hell had Marina Forrester been hiding?