The New Mutants
Written by Darkstorm5000
Disclaimer: The X-Men and related characters in their various incarnations are the property of Marvel Comics and Marvel Enterprises.
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Story 12- Vs.
The Danger Room, originally designed by Professor Charles Xavier to assist his students in learning how to control their mutant powers, and to then use those abilities to help in protecting a world that, ironically enough, had come to fear them for those very same powers that they possessed. Xavier had intended for his students, for his X-Men, to use the Danger Room to also learn to work together, hopefully molding these many varied and individual personalities into a cohesive unit that would function effectively as a team.
But, sometimes things can go awry, in spite of the very best of intentions.
Gambit and Iceman were currently demonstrating that fact in said Danger Room, as all of the junior X-Men watched them from its control booth up above. The school's junior-squad were all decked out in their dark blue and silver-trimmed leather uniforms, as they bore witness to an unexpected showdown taking place before them.
"I gotta say, not too bad, 'Ice-bucket'!"
"Yeah, that's pretty good coming from a career criminal. Or, did you steal that insult too?"
What was supposed to be a fairly low-key walkthrough in one of the Danger Room's beginner-level combat simulations, which was intended to be for the benefit of the junior squad, had rapidly escalated into something much more. As Gambit and Iceman continued their derisive exchange of words, they did so in between the clanging of each of their fighting staffs striking, with one being made of metal and the other out of solid ice.
"I've been wanting to see just for myself if you're really as good as you've been bragging you are?" Iceman said, as a visible smile could definitely be seen on his face, even though it and the rest of his body was covered in a sheet of ice.
"Then, I s'ppose it'd be rude of me t'disappoint?" Gambit replied with a smirk of his own, as the two men now faced off in front of each other with their staffs crossed. With a new twinkle in his red-on-black eyes, Gambit then set to the task of backing up all of his previous braggadocio.
Gambit proceeded to launch into an all-out attack, as he thrust and swung the metal staff in his hand profusely at his opponent, hoping to land a quick and decisive knock-out blow against Iceman. But, if he was expecting to catch his opponent off-guard, Gambit was immediately shown that would not be the case. He would certainly have his work cut out for him this day, as Iceman used his own ice-staff to successfully fend off most of Gambit's lunging advances.
Although it was Rogue that had garnered the most accolades for her advanced level of expertise in hand-to-hand combat, in truth, all of the members of the X-Men's senior student-squad had been given the appropriate tools by Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler with which to defend themselves in a fight, whether it be armed or unarmed. And, Iceman was clearly showing Gambit that both he and the ice-staff that he had created with his mutant powers were more than up to the challenge.
After bandying a multitude of staff blows between one another, Iceman and Gambit paused again. They stood there facing each other just a few feet apart, in what had originally been a desert environment holographically created around them in the Danger Room. But, the two men had since shut down the actual training simulation, choosing to continue their showdown in the spacious and empty Danger Room that was now left in its metallic-domed default state.
"When you're ready to really get started, just let me know." Iceman tauntingly said to Gambit, as he had his ice-staff firmly planted on the metal-tiled floor in front of him.
"Thought you'd never ask." Gambit replied with a wink, as he had been rotating his vanadium-reinforced staff in his right hand, but now suddenly stopped. Then, Gambit reached into the black and brown-trimmed leather trench coat of his uniform and pulled out three cards, which he managed to charge and throw at Iceman in only a matter of seconds.
But Iceman countered just as quickly, as he dropped his ice-staff and created a large, hand-held ice-shield seemingly out of thin air. He dodged two of the cards and was able to block the explosive damage from the third with his shield. Then, it was his turn to go on the offensive.
"That was pretty sloppy. It looks like you need this training session more than the junior squad up there does." Iceman mockingly said, as he used his ice powers to create a few thin sheets of ice in his left hand, deciding to mimic Gambit's favorite weapon of choice by fashioning rectangular playing cards of his own, and then hurling them from his left hand at the Cajun.
Gambit responded by leaping through the air with almost cat-like reflexes, and kept the ice-cards from actually striking his body by barely dodging them. But, since the ice-cards were denser than actual playing cards and were as sharp as razor blades, they still managed to slice through Gambit's loose black leather trench coat as they passed by, leaving it tattered in a few spots.
"Well, since you went and brought up de subject, and since dis is a school, I guess it time that Gambit do a little brushin' up of his own." Gambit grinned, as he finished cart wheeling out of the way of the last of Iceman's numerous ice-cards that had been aimed at him.
"The library's upstairs on the first floor, down at the end of the hall. Study all you want." Iceman sarcastically said, as he now created an ice-slide for himself and began to travel around the Danger Room on it, swiftly circling around Gambit and preparing to finish off their duel.
Meanwhile, another observer had appeared up in the control booth. And she was not at all happy with what she saw taking place, to say the least.
"What in the world's goin' on down there?" Rogue loudly demanded to know, as she walked into the control booth behind the junior X-Men already standing in there, dressed in a plain white, long-sleeved tee that she had the sleeves rolled up on them and some jeans.
"Gambit and Iceman were supposed to be teaching us how to run a combat-sim, but all of a sudden they started fighting with each other down there." Danielle Moonstar replied, as she stood next to her fellow junior-squad teammates and looked down through the large window of the control booth, all of them watching as Gambit and Iceman were still going strong in their face-off below.
"And they're layin' the smack down on each other pretty good too!" Jaime Madrox didn't mind adding.
"Good goin' there, ye insensitive clod." Theresa Cassidy scolded Jaime after hearing his remark, as she realized how wrenching it must be for Rogue to see that her current and her ex-boyfriend had come to blows right in front of her.
"Whatever…" Jaime shrugged in response, as he crossed his arms in front of him in a nonchalant manner and turned his full attention back to the contest down below.
Meanwhile, Rogue went on to make a remark of her own.
"Well, Ah'm gonna go down there, and lay some smack of my own down on those two!" Rogue emotionally stated, as she turned and stormed out of the control booth, heading down to the Danger Room .
In the meantime…
"I don't need no library for de kind of studyin' I'm talkin' 'bout." Gambit replied to Iceman, as Iceman continued circling around him on his ice-slide, "See, I study people, and de world is my library. I been keepin' one eye on you since day one, and prob'bly know you better than you know yo'self by now."
"Well, I hope while you were studying me, that you kept an eye open on how to walk on ice." Iceman said, as he went to make his move and used his powers to instantaneously freeze the metallic floor right underneath Gambit.
Gambit tried to get out of range of his ice-blast, but for a split-second lost his footing on the now icy floor. In that brief lapse Iceman continued his freeze-job and caught Gambit unawares, as the arctic sheet quickly crept across the floor and managed to freeze Gambit's feet cold in their tracks. Iceman next froze Gambit's lower torso, and then continued upwards with his icy grip until it was at Gambit's chest-level, leaving most of Gambit's body wrapped inside of an ice-cocoon.
"Well, it looks like I made my point." Iceman said, as he hopped off of his ice-slide and began walking over to Gambit, who was now restrained and trapped within this frigid confinement, "All I've got to say now is I got you right where I want you."
"Au Contraire. Me t'inks Gambit is de one who got you right where he wants you." Gambit replied, with an ultra-confident smile present on his face.
"What do you mean?" Iceman inquired as he continued approaching Gambit, his frosty breath very much visible in the air with every word.
"All dis time you been tryin' to corner me, but it never occurred to you dat maybe I was de one lurin' you into de proverbial cage?" Gambit replied, as he was definitely beginning to feel the effects of the chilly ice pressed tightly around his body, all despite the weather-tolerable materials that the X-Men's uniforms had been made out of.
"See since I been here, de Professeur done helped to show me dat there're some aspects of my powers I never even considered, which I t'ink is finally gonna come in handy dealin' wit' yo' version of de 'Big Chill'."
Then, as Gambit paused, Iceman distinctly began to hear the sound of ice starting to crack.
"I use my powers to increase de kinetic energy in solid objects, but now I've gotten better at bein' able to do it to varyin' degrees. Such as, chargin' de ice around my hands and then de rest of my body just enough to let me break loose, but doin' it wit'out blowin' myself up in de process." Gambit revealed, an instant before the ice shell that had been wrapped around him shattered like a broken window.
The ice exploded outward, with big and small shards flying towards a totally surprised Iceman, as he was forced to dodge the debris being aimed back at him. Meanwhile, Gambit quickly knelt down to the floor to grab his metal staff that had also been freed by the discharge. Gambit then ran towards his opponent with quarterstaff in hand and tossed a number of kinetically charged cards at him, which Iceman managed to neutralize as he froze the cards in mid-air with his ice-blast, causing them to drop down to the ground as they exploded harmlessly a few feet away. But, while Iceman had been distracted by the flying cards, he had lost track of the flying Cajun who had used his staff to pole-vault overhead, doing a somersault in mid-air and landing right behind the arctically-endowed combatant in the blink of an eye.
Now, the time had come for Gambit to make his move.
As he made his descent down from his aerial maneuver, Gambit used his quarterstaff that measured about six feet in length to accurately land a solid blow square in Iceman's back. The pain from the fighting staff finding its mark caused Iceman to immediately fall to his hands and knees, and to also temporarily lose control over his ice-form. But, Gambit took advantage of the opportunity to finish this contest, using his staff to land another heavy blow coming from underneath against Iceman's sternum, causing Iceman to hit the Danger Room floor hard as he landed on his already bruised back.
With Iceman now seemingly down for the count, Gambit went over to announce his victory, doing so in a manner that stayed very true to form.
"I guess since I done received so much while I been here, I t'ink it only proper dat I give somethin' back." Gambit said, as he walked towards and then stepped over a dazed Iceman currently lying on the floor, before putting his right foot on top of Iceman's chest, "So, here's some words of advice. You good, but you need to work on keepin' yo' eye on yo' opponent at all times. Else, you just leavin' yo'self wide open. De other t'ing I got to say is, just so we can make t'ings official, and so there won't be no doubt 'bout it later…"
As Gambit paused in mid-sentence, he pushed a button located on his quarterstaff (a staff that he had made a number of upgrades on and improvements to since arriving in Westchester). Gambit extended a small, serrated-blade out from the end of the staff and aimed it a few inches from Iceman's throat, before finishing his statement…
"Bang! You dead…"
"No, you're about to be dead, both of you once Ah get finished with you!" An extremely pissed off Rogue said, as her entrance into the Danger Room hit like a tempest, "What kind of example do you think you're setting for the junior X-Men up there, carryin' on like a couple of jackasses down here! Ah thought you had finally gotten past all of this animosity between the two of you."
Despite the infuriated state that Rogue was currently in, as she demanded an answer from them, Bobby and Remy both responded by busting out laughing.
"And what, exactly, is so funny?" A fumed Rogue continued, as she looked at both men.
"Um, Rogue, we were training so the other kids could get to observe how to use the fighting techniques we've been teaching them in a real-life combat situation." Bobby smiled, as he sat up on the floor of the Danger Room. His black and ice-blue trimmed leather uniform was now visible, since the ice-shell covering him had dissipated, and the suit's colors presumably also mirrored the way that his body currently felt.
"Yeah, you gotta learn t'stop over-reactin'. We was feelin' each other's abilities out, and maybe we got just a little bit carried away." Remy also smiled, as he had since retracted the blade from the end of his quarterstaff, and had put his hand out to help Bobby up to his feet.
"Besides, if we were really trying to kill each other, there'd be nothing left of the Danger Room but smoke and ice right now." Bobby added, "And, I wouldn't have been going so easy on Remy here."
"Goin' easy? Gambit don't need nobody t'pull they punches for him. If you want me t'prove dat, then get all frostied up and I'll show you what I'm--" Remy animatedly said, as he held his staff out to his side in a semi-fighting position.
"Before y'all two get started up again, Ah had come down here to ask you what movie you wanted to see, since Kitty and Peter picked last time and now it's our turn?" Rogue interrupted, as she then turned to face Remy, "If we don't get a move on, Kitty's gonna pick for us. And, you do know what that means?"
"Course, Mon Cherie, Gambit know exactly what gonna happen. Petite'll have us spendin' de entire night up to our elbows in light-saber duels. Again." Remy smirked, as he took Rogue's gloved hand into his, "C'mon, we gonna go find a newspaper, or de theatre's number, or somethin', 'fore it's too late."
As Remy and Rogue dashed out of the Danger Room together, Bobby watched them exit and then looked up at the control booth. He motioned for the junior squad to come down and join him to finally begin their combat simulation training, which they and Iceman were already supposed to be running through together.
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Story 13- Alternative School Part 8, My So-Called Life (flashback)
At a fairly average one-story home located in West Morris, New Jersey lived a girl, whose only wish at the moment was to also be just as average. But, she knew that was only a fantasy, thanks to the terrible secret that she was now hiding from the rest of the world.
Fifteen year-old Angelica Jones was slowly coming to grips with the fact the she was a mutant, after discovering that she now possessed these newfound powers just a few weeks ago. But, accepting something as truth is one thing, welcoming such a profound change in one's life with arms wide open is another matter entirely, as Angelica had quickly become convinced that these newly emerged abilities were rapidly ruining her life.
As Angelica prepared for bed on this cold, wintry night and put on her long white nightgown with little pink flowers printed on it, down at the foot of her bed sat her orange-black housecat named Pumpkin.
"Today just couldn't have been any worse." Angelica started, as she sat on her bed and began to brush her lengthy red-hair while talking to Pumpkin. By now, Pumpkin had come and jumped up onto her bed and affectionately rubbed up against Angelica, as she continued with her retelling of this day's events,
"I just hope nobody at school figures out I'm the one who ruined all of those ice sculptures in that contest with my powers. It's not like I did it on purpose, I actually thought those ice-sculptures were kinda cool. But it won't matter once word gets out, everyone'll probably be too busy talking about how I'm the school's new mutie-freak. No one's going to want to have anything to do me, not even Chuckie Belson. But who am I kidding, a gorgeous guy like Chuckie would never go for a fat girl like me anyways." Angelica said, although one might certainly question her self-assertion regarding her own weight.
As she finished with her hair, Angelica laid her brush down on the nightstand next to her bed and picked Pumpkin up into her arms. The two of them sat at the foot of her bed together, as Angelica gently stroked Pumpkin on the back of his neck and talked to him. She felt as though Pumpkin was the only friend that she had left in the world, and that she could still count on.
"Then there are those other mean girls at school that don't like me, just wait 'til they find out I'm a mutant, they're gonna have a field day. I mean, it's not like I haven't tried a buncha times to be friends with them, ever since we moved here and I started at West Morris High. But, just because I don't fit in with them and the other popular kids at school, Cassie and her group've made it some kinda personal mission of theirs to make my life completely miserable."
With Pumpkin still in her arms, Angelica then got up from her bed and walked over to her bedroom window, now looking out onto a street that was, for the most part, empty at this time of night.
"I wish Grandma was here, so I could talk to her about all of this. She would tell me what I should do." Angelica continued, as she then shifted Pumpkin over to her right arm and opened up her left hand, looking down at her palm, "Only Nana could make me feel better by saying that I was special, and telling me it was because I had this 'M' mark in my hand. Even though I found out from Cassie later on that I was a total idiot to believe that, because EVERYBODY has an M marked in their hand.
Still, I miss Nana so much. Things've been so sad around here ever since she died. On top of that, Dad's been in such a bad mood lately, and I don't want to bother him with any of this. I know it's because of everything that happened with Nana, and because he's been out of work for a couple of months now. The closer it gets to Christmas, the grouchier he seems to get. But, I don't mind too much that he won't be able to afford very many presents this year, all I really want is for us to just stay together."
Then, Angelica's thoughts drifted right back to that one big secret that she'd been hiding.
"That's why I can't tell Dad about me being a mutant, but I don't know how much longer I can hide it. Everyday, these powers keep getting stronger and stronger, and it's getting harder for me to keep them under control. I'm just so scared that one day real soon, something really bad is going to happen because of them."
Angelica then closed her eyes, and asked the very question that other individuals in her position had also pondered.
"God, I didn't ask to be born this way, or to even have these crazy powers. I hate being different, being a mutant. And, sometimes, I hate myself because of it all."
As Angelica stood by her bedroom window, now slightly misty-eyed, she held Pumpkin closely to her and tried figure out just how she was going to deal with all of this.
"Oh Pumpkin, what am I gonna do?" Angelica said, as she then kissed Pumpkin on his forehead, and continued to stare out of her window.
In a contemplative pose, she and Pumpkin watched together as the snow, which had been brought in by a stationary weather pattern, continued to slowly fall outside and covered everything in its camouflaging tranquility.
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Story 14- Hidden Agendas
Location: Camp Hayden, Kentucky.
It is here that Project Wideawake, the covert government-sponsored research program that had originally been established to gain a better understanding of the mutant phenomenon and of super-powered beings in general, has now been relocated. This was after the shocking turn of events in which the Sentinels, giant robotic constructs built for the express purpose of hunting down mutants, had sought to achieve their chief goal by taking the President of the United States hostage, and then attempting to institute a state of martial-law worldwide, with their leader Mastermold as its new supreme ruler.
After numerous closed-door hearings, which included representatives from the CIA, FBI, members of the National Security Council, and even a few high-ranking agents from SHIELD had all assembled within the halls of the U.S. Congress, a Senate investigational panel assigned to look into the matter had concluded in their report that the blame for the Sentinel fiasco ultimately lay with Project Wideawake's previous director, Dr. Stephen Lang.
The panel's final determination was that the Sentinel's were merely following the overall directives put into their programming by Lang, whom they deemed had been more preoccupied with pursuing his own personal agenda, than he was with holding the nation's security as his top priority. Still, it was the recommendation of the panel that the government's active participation in the Sentinel program be severely scaled back.
Which, is where wealthy and powerful defense contractor Sebastian Shaw came into the picture.
If it was true that Anthony 'Tony' Stark, the billionaire CEO of Stark Enterprises, had no equal either in the business world or in the field of technological innovations, then Sebastian Shaw would be amongst the handful of individuals that could be considered running a close second behind him.
"…I still must say, it came as a total surprise to me when I learned through various channels that the government wasn't completely scrapping its Sentinel initiative, and was instead looking to move it into the private sector." Sebastian Shaw said, as he walked through the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility now being constructed by Shaw Industries underneath Camp Hayden.
As he continued through the vast complex, Sebastian Shaw did so dressed in an expensive black business suit, which was accessorized by a white dress shirt and dark purple tie. If one knew Sebastian Shaw beyond a merely casual association, they would know that his graying temples and coal-hued pupils cloaked a fire within him. It was one that had burned inside since his youth, and his was an appetite that sought nothing less than power on its grandest of scales.
"You shouldn't be surprised. Although, their attempted takeover definitely opened our eyes as to how dangerous the Sentinels can be, any weapon can be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands. The final decision made by the President himself was that total abandonment would be premature." Dr. Valerie Cooper, the blonde Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor of the President of the United States, and now the newly appointed director of Project Wideawake replied, as she walked alongside Shaw in this unfinished underground labyrinth, dressed in a dark-blue skirt suit that came just above her knee.
"The Sentinels still serve a vital role in opposing the super-powered threats that we face. These new Sentinels are being built as a precaution, a backup plan in the event that this experiment with the Avengers ultimately doesn't work out. And this time, there will be substantially more oversight when it comes to the Sentinels use and their deployment." Dr. Cooper said as they continued on.
"Should such unfortunate circumstances arise, where they are once again needed." Donald Pierce, the third and final member of this trio forebodingly added, as he walked alongside Shaw and Cooper on the pathway, which wound its way through the main manufacturing hub and had protective steel railing on both sides of it. Pierce had on an impeccable suit that consisted of an ivory-colored jacket and slate-gray pants, which almost matched the bluish-gray color of his enigmatic eyes.
As the trio reached an exit shaft that ran back up to the ground level, Dr. Cooper spoke to both men once again.
"One of my liaisons with the defense department will be contacting you within the week. Both, to get a more detailed status report of the progress that you've made, and to schedule a formal meeting with you, myself, and Defense Secretary Martin.' Dr. Cooper said, as she stepped into the elevator shaft and the protective barrier closed, her green eyes now trained on Shaw and Pierce while she waited for the steel platform to usher her back topside.
"Until then." Shaw responded with a partial-smile, as he and Pierce watched Dr. Cooper make her leave.
Now alone, these two men were left to openly discuss other pressing business between them, which had as much to do with the Sentinel factory being built underneath Camp Hayden, as it did with other ulterior and far more dangerous motives that were at play.
"You've taken a great risk by involving yourself, by involving all of us, in this." Pierce said, as he stood facing Shaw and leaned back against the waist-high railing behind him, which had been constructed from thick steel piping.
"The greater the risk, so much greater the reward." Shaw replied, this time with a wider and more ominous grin, as he came and stood next to Pierce and looked out onto the floor of the assembly plant below them.
"I wonder if the rest of the Inner Circle will agree with you, and with your taking such an ambitious course of action without first consulting them?" Pierce curiously inquired, with one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Acquiring access to valuable resources, such as the Sentinels for instance, is for the overall benefit of the Inner Circle. As the Circle's Black King, I believe that affords me license enough to act when such an opportunity to expand our power base presents itself. It is a responsibility that we all owe to the Circle, and it is what we've pledged to one another in our sacred oath. Frost and Leland will certainly understand that concept." Shaw explained to Pierce, who himself held the title of White Bishop within the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club.
"And what of Magneto? Your procurement of the Sentinels will assuredly not sit well with him, nor will your contention of there being a preeminent kingship amongst us. Unless of course, that black or white crown were to one day rest with him." Pierce goadingly asked, this time with a wide smile of his own, as he knew that the very mention of Magneto's name could ignite the unmistakable hostility that Shaw felt towards the Master of Magnetism.
"Oh, I intend to make certain that Magneto comprehends that and more. Should such a confrontation ever become necessary, he will know his place and will understand beyond any shadow of a doubt just who the real king is!" Shaw boisterously replied, "Just make certain that everything is in order in regards to the Sentinels' and their new programming, and that they will serve their new master without question."
"With my vast expertise in the field of advanced cybernetics, I think that I am more than up to the task." Pierce stated, as he held his right hand out in front of him, opening and closing it with an almost eerie, mechanized precision.
"Good. If you'll excuse me, I need to get in touch with Tessa regarding some other personal business that requires tending to." Shaw said, as turned in a direction heading towards the nerve center of the underground complex.
Shaw then confidently strode off ahead Pierce to continue his inspection of the Sentinel assembly plant being built under Camp Hayden, which was created in place of having an actual Mastermold to churn out Sentinels. This underground manufacturing plant being constructed by Shaw Industries was at the forefront of innovative design, and was capable of rivaling any production method that had been developed in Detroit during its heyday.
Meanwhile, Pierce stayed behind, turning and looking out onto the vast production floor, now in a state of solitary rumination.
"Yes, my dear Black King, once I have finished with the Sentinels, they will indeed know who their one true master is." Pierce smiled and thought to himself, as he had always fancied himself a bit of a king as well, even if he was one merely in waiting.
For the time being…
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Story 15- Piano in the Dark (flashback)
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(A/N: This story takes place during A Force To Be Reckoned With.)
"…be back with more on the controversy surrounding International superstar Alison Blaire right after these--"
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"…seen in this video-clip footage from her most recent concert in Madison Square Garden, in which recently escaped felon Frederick Dukes, also known as The Blob, and another unidentified teenage mutant were involved in the ensuing melee. But in any case, there's no doubt about--"
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"…Opinion seems to be sharply divided on the issue, but there have already been anti-Allison Blaire rallies planned across the country. One such planned demonstration by the Friends of Humanity reportedly includes a public CD demoliti--"
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"…I couldn't believe it when I saw this blinding, flash of light that came right out of her hands and--"
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"…unsure of how this will impact sales of her most recent album release, Miss You Forever--"
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"…recent events serve to further solidify the point that the Friends of Humanity have been trying to make, for some time now. Mutants are everywhere, and we still have no way of identifying them. We cannot allow these 'genetically challenged' individuals to continue to pose as harmless entertainers or sports figures, all the while brainwashing our children into believing their propaganda of mutant superiority. That is why the Friends of Humanity have given their full endorsement to Senatorial candidate Graydon Creed, as well as other candidates with similarly responsible viewpoi--"
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"…less than notable, films. Even the mixed reviews that she received didn't seem to affect her status as America's, and the World's, sweetheart. But, the recent revelation that she is a mutant has sent a shockwave across both the entertainment and political spheres. Here is a reaction from one of her teenaged fans, upon hearing the news…"
"I can't believe she lied and pretended to be something she wasn't. I mean, Alison Blaire acted like she was this totally normal person, but now we find out she's just a big freak. I'm never gonna buy another one of her records, or go see one of her stupid movi--"
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"…should pass that Registration-Act and round up all o' these muties, this Blaire-chick included--"
Backlash, pure and simple.
As one of the top entertainers in the world, Alison Blaire had spanned the globe more than a dozen times over, and believed that she had seen it all. But, nothing in her lifetime or in those travels could have prepared her for the reactions that she was drawing, many of which bordered on pure-hatred. It was all because the rest of the world now knew the secret that she had closely guarded since she was a teenager.
It had been revealed that Alison Blaire, pop megastar and media darling was in fact a mutant, and that revelation had instantly made her the most recognizable x-positive individual on the planet.
"Mutant. That's all people see now, that's all I'm ever going to be to them from now on." Alison thought to herself, as she sat alone on the bed in her new accommodations at the Xavier School for the Gifted in Westchester County, New York, with the time slowly drawing towards midnight.
Just about twenty-four hours had passed since Alison had been on the receiving end of an abrupt rescue, courtesy of the X-Men. It was in the violent aftermath that had seen the X-Men take on masked gunmen outside of Alison's apartment, who had been sent to kill her. After thwarting the mercenaries' attempt, the X-Men proceeded to bring Alison from the apartment in the Hell's Kitchen section of New York City, which she had been hiding out in for the last week, back to Westchester.
Alison now sat up on her unmade bed in the darkened room, wearing a beautiful and exotic batik print robe that had been borrowed from another weather-manipulating resident who was away from the school and was currently out of the country. Having locked herself away in her new bedroom at the mansion, Alison had spent her time here thus far watching TV almost non-stop. As she watched report after report, it seemed as though on the majority of them that she had now been reduced to nothing more than a soundbyte.
Now Alison Blaire was just a name, only to be rolled out whenever a heated debate amongst self-righteous pundits on the 24-hour cable news cycle needed to be sparked. She hadn't asked for any of this, however, for the mutant powers or for the public scrutiny that came along with having them. The worst fears that Alison had always harbored about what would happen if others ever uncovered the truth about her had become her reality, her living nightmare, and it was enough to make her heart break.
But, it wasn't really because of the sudden loss of fame (of the positive variety) or the money. Alison was brokenhearted because she realized that she could no longer do the one thing in life that she truly loved. All she had ever wanted to do was to sing, to try and make her audience feel the same sense of elation listening to her music that she certainly felt while she was performing. But, with all of this fallout raining down around her, it seemed very unlikely to Alison that she would ever get the chance to know that kind of exhilaration again.
As she continued switching channels, Alison stopped when she suddenly saw a familiar face on the TV. But, he wasn't coming on to speak out in her defense, rather it couldn't be further from the truth.
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"…and now, we have this video statement received moments ago from Eric Beale, the president of Beale Entertainment, Alison's record company. In addition to making her a music superstar, Beale Entertainment has also provided the majority of financing in her acting endeavors, even helping to obtain a distribution deal for Alison's first movie, titled Crossing Points."
(Camera cuts to a shot of Eric Beale, a middle-aged man with dark-colored hair and wearing a brown suit and tie who was sitting behind a large, wooden desk in his company's Los Angeles offices.)
"While those of us here at Beale Entertainment were completely unaware of Miss Blaire's mutant status, we were nonetheless as shocked and appalled as the rest of the public by this discovery. Therefore, it is with recommendations given to me by Beale Entertainment's board of directors and by its majority stockholders that we exercise our moral's clause in Alison Blaire's contract with Beale Entertainment. From this point forward, any and all pre-existing contractual obligations between Alison Blaire and Beale Entertainment have been severed, are now to be considered null and void.
Further, any consumer wishing to obtain a full refund for any of Alison Blaire's CD's or video products, may obtain one by returning the items to most major retail chains, or by simply mailing the item back to Beale Entertainment for reimbursement…"
-Click-
"C'mon Eric, like you'd know the first thing about morals!" Alison angrily shouted at the TV, as she sat on the bed with her legs tucked comfortably underneath her, "It's not like you had to worry about puttin' out anymore of my records, my career's just about as dead as it gets. Then again, it's just more evidence the shit really has hit the fan, when a tightwad like you offers to come up offa your cold, hard cash just to cater to the muta-phobic crowd."
After she had turned the television channel away from Eric Beale's press statement, it took a few minutes but Alison managed to calm herself down and let a deep sigh.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The way people are carryin' on, you'd think they found out I was a mass-murderer or some other kind of monster." Alison continued with her self-observation, as she held the remote in her hand and flipped from one channel to the next, "But, that's exactly what they think mutants are. To them, we're nothing but monsters, freaks, not really even human beings in their eyes."
Then, Alison couldn't help it as she began to laugh bitterly at what she saw as the irony of it all.
"Human…like I even know what that means anymore."
Then just as suddenly, Alison's laughter quickly turned to tears at the realization of it all, and at her new status as a social pariah. After watching story after story on TV that did nothing but trash her reputation, Alison felt as though the whole world had abandoned her.
Right then, she heard a loud knock at her bedroom door. As she got up from her bed to answer it, Alison was about to be reminded that she wasn't nearly as alone in the world as she may have wanted to believe.
"Alison, may I come in and talk for a moment?" Dr. Henry McCoy, an original founding member of the X-Men as the scholarly Beast, and now the man who was currently filling in as the school's interim Headmaster asked Alison, doing so from the other side of the door.
"We've gotta stop meeting like this." Alison sarcastically said, as she had now come and opened the door for him, after getting up from the bed and re-wrapping the borrowed robe securely around herself.
Alison was referring to how her first meeting with the X-Men had occurred the night before, in which she had met them at the door of her apartment. Then, just as now, she had appeared in front of them wearing a house robe and with her crimson-dyed hair in a slightly unkempt state.
"I only dropped by at this, a rather indecorous hour, because we've all been so concerned about you." Hank told her, as he stood in the doorway.
Hank was wearing a dark-khaki dress shirt that had the sleeves rolled up on them, pants of a similar shade, and had on his rather large feet a pair of size-17 EEEEE loafers that been especially made to accommodate them. Hank then nervously ran his right hand through his neatly combed back jet-black hair, his blue eyes looking through his eyeglasses right into Alison's.
"Well, I appreciate everyone worrying, but you guys don't have to." Alison replied to his statement, as she turned to head back into her room, her body language delivering an informal invitation for Hank to join her, "It's like I told Kurt when he came by earlier, I just want to be left alone."
"And we have done that, for most of today and this evening. I understand your desire to simply forget about all of the negative attention that you've been receiving as of late, but locking yourself in here and shutting yourself off from everyone else won't solve anything." Hank said, as he closed her bedroom door behind him and stood leaning against a wall close by, "Things may look very bleak at the moment, but these tribulations will eventually pass. It won't be the end of the world."
"Hate to rain on your little pep-talk, but that's exactly what it is, at least for my world." Alison replied, as she slumped back down on her bed, tucking her legs back underneath her, "How would you feel if all of a sudden you couldn't walk down the street without someone pointing and shouting 'Hey, there goes that weird mutie, let's see if her powers'll help her dodge this huge brick when I chunk it at her'. 'Cause that's what my life's turned into lately, and I don't need you comin' in here patronizing me and trying to tell me how great it is!"
As she was talking, Hank's eyes had quickly begun to adjust to the lack of light in her bedroom. He could now see in the light reflecting off the TV that her eyes were red from crying, and her face slightly raw from wiping those tears away.
"You can still walk around without the whole world knowing you're a mutant, but I don't have that luxury anymore. On top of that, I've got to deal with those thugs from the Hellfire Club that I'm sure were behind all of this, and are now tryin' to kill me." Alison semi-shouted, as she looked up at Hank from the bed and continued venting, "So, the next time you want to come in here and lecture me about how I should just learn to accept this whole being a mutant thing, just remember that I'm the one who's life has been ruined because of it!"
"I will." Hank responded, as he came and gently sat down on the bed next to her, "I will also share with you the tale of how my wife and I are barely on speaking terms. And would you like to know why our marriage is on the rocks? It's because she is so terrified of both humans AND mutants doing something to us, just because we both happen to be of the mutatis-persuasion."
"But, if you don't find that to be a good example, then perhaps I can also regale you with some of the horror stories relayed to me from Kurt regarding his childhood." Hank continued, as he took his glasses off and continued, "Or better yet, Kurt can tell you himself about what it was like for him growing up, spending everyday of his life looking completely different from those around him. Or, he can tell you about how his mere presence would sometimes ignite riots in the small towns where his traveling circus would stop and perform. Or about the deep hurt that he always felt inside when people, children especially, would either run away from him in fear or faint at the very sight of a monster amongst them."
It was in that moment that Alison remembered what happened when she first saw Kurt. Despite the fact that he had teleported into her apartment under a hail of bullets to help save her, she too had fainted at the very sight of him, and it was an embarrassment that now cut right through her.
"Miss Blaire, I don't say any of this to belittle the severity or authenticity of the hurt that you are feeling, but you don't have the market cornered in pain." Hank told her and then paused for a moment. He then looked over at Alison sitting next to him on the bed, taking her smaller hand into his significantly larger one and continued,
"But this school, and the spirit in which it was founded, seeks not to turn it into a receptacle of anguish. Professor Xavier had envisioned this place as a sanctuary, a place where we could come to grips within the safety of its confines with what it is that makes us different, and what it is that makes us who we are. It is from that acceptance that he dreamt that we might begin the process of building a brand new world, a world where the various differences that we use to separate ourselves would one day be embraced by all. It is a world that I hope you will choose to join us in helping to realize, because we could desperately use someone in it that possesses your strength, talents and beauty, both inside and out."
"And what if I don't have that strength? What if I'm just not strong enough to fight anymore, for this new world, for this Professor Xavier's dream, or for anything else period?" Alison inquired.
"It would be a shame then, Alison." Hank told her, as he then stood up from the bed, looking back down at her and putting his glasses back on, "Because I didn't take you to be a quitter."
With that, Hank quietly made his leave from the room, having given Alison quite a few things to think about, as she now had to decide where her life was going to go from here, and whether or not she would allow these unfortunate circumstances of the passing moment to dictate the course of the rest of said life.
Meanwhile, outside…
"Well, Professor, only time will tell if I was truly able to effect a difference." Hank stood in the hallway and thought to himself, "Even though you've left your school in my ministration during your leave of absence, you've also left behind some rather large shoes to fill."
Then, Hank began to smile widely to himself.
"Which is turning out to be quite a challenge, even with my considerable lower extremities." Hank finished his thought, as he then continued on down the hallway and left the girls' wing of the upstairs living quarters.
……………………………………….
The Next Morning…
"…are still no new leads into the disturbance in the section of the city known as Hell's Kitchen the other night. Without any credible eyewitnesses, all police have to go on are rumors of machine guns being fired, and of the masked vigilante named Daredevil being seen in the vicinity as well--"
"And no mention of yours truly. What does a man have to do to get a little attention around here?" Kurt Wagner smiled and sarcastically asked aloud, as he and a few of the other residents either sat or were standing in the living room of the mansion in front of the large screen TV, "Daredevil was not the one who taught those dastardly curs a lesson."
"Yeah 'Crawler, but like after all the MAJOR attention you got when you gate-crashed the White House last year, maybe you need to learn to dig bein' camera-deprived for a while." Jubilee replied to his rhetorical inquiry, as she sat on the sofa next to where Kurt was perched.
"Don't worry Kurt. Take it from an expert, I think the camera would love you." A voice now said to the group, as she had come down the cascading staircase and was now walking into the living room to join them.
"Alison, it is a wonderful surprise to see you down here." Hank said, as he was standing close to the sofa, when they all turned around to see Alison enter.
Alison was dressed in one of the school's gray t-shirts that she had greatly altered, having cut off its bottom portion to expose her bare mid-riff, and she was also wearing a matching pair of gray sweats, which had now been turned into a pair of tight-fitting cut-off shorts.
"Well, the recluse-routine was starting to get a little old." Alison actually grinned and replied, as she came over and stood with Hank, Kurt, Jubilee, and Roberto Da Costa by the sofa, "And I see I'm still making the news, even if they don't know that disturbance had to do with me."
"Ah Fraulein, a lovely vision such as yourself cannot help but to inevitably attract watchful eyes." Kurt playfully flirted with Alison.
"And you're not lookin' so bad yourself today, either." Alison lightly replied to his comment.
Which Hank found extraordinary, having now seen with his own two eyes that Alison had done a complete 180, and was now in much higher spirits. He wondered to himself whether this upbeat woman before him was that same person, whom he had previously spoken to and who seemed to be on the verge of a total breakdown the night before.
"It appears that you are undoubtedly feeling much better today." Hank now remarked to Alison.
"A ton better." Alison replied, as she then turned and headed towards the other side of the living room, " I'm goin' to the kitchen, anyone wanna join me?"
"I will meet you there." Kurt quickly responded, as a loud 'BAMF!' and a soon vanishing smokescreen signaled his departure out of the room.
"I will also be along shortly, once this news report has concluded." Hank replied, as he turned back towards the TV.
As Alison proceeded out of the room, now with a noticeable stride of confidence, Hank could distinctly hear her softly singing a song on her way down the corridor.
"Don't you know I'm still standing,
better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor…"
Which he instantly recognized as an Elton John number. And, Hank thought it to be a very befitting and hopefully encouraging choice for her, considering everything that she had endured recently.
………………………………………
Story 16- New Arrival
"All members of the school's junior squad are to now report to the mansion's front entrance at once…"
With the telepathic order given, Professor Xavier had summoned the younger students at his School for the Gifted in Westchester County, drawing them out from its various areas to its first floor foyer. A short time later, Mirage, Sunspot, Siryn, Warpath, Magma, Rictor, Circuit, Multiple Kid, Wolfsbane, and Cannonball had all gathered in that sizable area that sat between the front door and the large, spiraling staircase in the mansion.
"Wonder what's so important that the Professor'd go and mind-slap us to get our attention?" James Proudstar asked, as he stood with his junior squad teammates, all of them awaiting an answer to that mystery.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Jones Davidson replied, as the youngest member of the junior squad took a seat at the base of the staircase.
And within a few minutes an explanation drew near, as Professor Xavier, Ororo Munroe, and a third new and unfamiliar face came down the hallway towards them, approaching from the direction where the mansion's elevator was located.
"Students, I would like to introduce you to the young lady standing next to me." Professor Xavier said, as he presented the new girl standing next to him, who appeared that she couldn't be any more than fifteen or sixteen years old, "Her name is Carmella Unuscione, and she will be your newest classmate. I trust that you will do your best to make her feel welcome here."
Carmella had shoulder-length and slightly curly hair, which was of a very dark chocolate-brown shade, and had eyes to match. She was dressed in a simple blue top and a pair of tight fitting jeans on her athletic five-foot, eight-inch frame.
"Nice t'meet ya, my name is Sam." Sam Guthrie said, as one of the junior squad's leaders was the first to come over and introduce himself. But, while Sam extended his hand out as a friendly gesture, Carmella didn't respond anywhere near in kind.
"Professor, can I go up to my room?" Carmella turned and asked him in a fairly impassive tone.
"Certainly. Amara, will you show our new guest around upstairs?" Professor Xavier requested of her, as Sam slowly pulled his hand back.
"Um, sure Professor." Amara replied, as she went with Carmella. The two of them passed Jones as they went up the staircase towards the girls' wing, with Carmella toting a moderate-sized bag slung across her right shoulder.
With formal introductions now brought to a screeching and abrupt halt, Professor Xavier and Ororo excused themselves as well, heading back down the hallway towards his study.
"Man, as chilly as it got in there, you'd think Bobby was responsible." Rictor said to Sam, as the remaining juniors' now walked back to the living room together.
"She seems like a snob and a half." Theresa remarked to the group.
"Maybe she's just shy, is all?" Rahne Sinclair speculated, as it was a feeling that she was very much familiar with.
"Well, if anyone's qualified to warm her up to this place, it'd be Amara." Roberto humorously added, as the group took their seats in the living room, and were soon very engrossed in a debate about what they would watch on TV this afternoon.
Meanwhile, as Ororo and the Professor continued on their way to his study, they were very much engaged in a conversation of their own.
"Were you able to gather any additional information from Carmella?" Professor Xavier inquired, as he wheeled down the corridor alongside Ororo.
"Not much. She barely said anything at all on the plane ride back here." Ororo replied.
"I could sense a great deal of pain and anger inside of her. Which is not unlike another young lady, whom I had the pleasure of first bringing to this school some time ago." Professor Xavier smiled, as they reached his study and proceeded inside, "With that said, perhaps you might be best equipped in reaching out to her."
"In time." Ororo told him, as she closed the study's door behind them, "I believe that for now we should allow her the opportunity to acclimate herself to her new surroundings."
Then, Ororo brought up another point that had been on her mind regarding the school's newest student.
"Should we tell the other students, particularly the members of the senior student squad, what we suspect regarding Carmella?" Ororo asked, as she took a seat in a solid wooden chair in the study.
"Until we can confirm those details, and have had the chance to discuss them with Carmella herself, I believe it best that we keep it between us, Scott, and Kurt for the time being." Professor Xavier responded, as his wheelchair came to a rest right next to his desk in there.
He and Ororo both continued with their conversation, discussing possible aspects of Carmella's life and her past, which even the young girl had not yet been made aware of.
……………………………….
Next Chapter: A Hero's journey to Muir Island…
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A/N: Special thanks for last chapter's reviews-
ishandahalf- Glad you seemed to thoroughly enjoy Kitty's teaching Lockheed the ways of the Force. I think the problem with the prequels was that (at least with the first two) it didn't really get good until the last 30-45 minutes.
(And also because of the lack of Han Solo, or just another fairly shady character who's willing to kick a little ass every now and then, when it benefits himself of course.)
I also hoped the Gambit vs. Iceman showdown in this chapter lived up to expectations.
El Varon- Glad you liked the last chapter, and my finding a fancy way of describing 'Hulk Smash!'
P.S.- If you enjoyed the brief mention of the Avengers in the last chapter, then I think you'll really get a kick out of the very special guest appearance coming up in chapter 7.
Independent Fire- Glad you liked most everything in the last chapter, and it seems like I was even able to surprise you a little with the Bobby/Rogue story. I'd like to say there'll be no more surprises like that in future stories.
yeah, I'd like to say that…
TheDreamerLady- Well, if supportively wasn't a word before, it is one now thanks to yours truly. Yeah, 'indubitably'. (The big words just keep fallin' offa the tree left and right.)
It also sounds like you've been guilty of D.W.R., Drowsy While Reading. Which the Suregeon General warns can cause you to read things, and then not remember them the next morning.
Anyways, enough silliness. I'm just glad you liked things, and I hope you continue to.
P.S.- I think the word you're looking for is 'snuck', because 'sneakeded' or 'snoke' just doesn't work.
Cyke916- Sorry things in this fic haven't quite been your cup of tea.