Like Ripples in a Stream
"Today a mutant riot was stopped by the Genetic Security and Research Organization," Trish Trilby spoke. "Although the mutant mostly responsible for the destruction was apprehended, he escaped and is at large."
"What a bunch of bull!" Dead Girl snapped at the television. "We're the ones who did all the work! Rachel nearly knocked him out single-handed! Then those jerks swooped down and grabbed the glory!" All the X-Girls were in Xavier's office with Xavier and Logan.
"Those jerks identified you from their files. You're lucky Roadblock was able to come up with a cockamamie story about you checking out signs of mutant activity for an official mission," Logan snapped. "You are all facing serious probation here!"
"But we didn't do anything!" Dead Girl protested. "That Sauron creep attacked us!"
"You shouldn't have been at the mall in the first place," Xavier said.
"Excuse me Professor," Jean asserted herself. "The mall was my idea! I decided to take the girls out. And none of them used their powers until Sauron appeared. They shouldn't be punished for something I approved."
"Especially since we didn't do anything wrong in the first place!" Dead Girl snapped. "What? Is shopping a crime now?"
"No but talking back is!" Logan snapped. "You are looking at some serious time in the Danger Room!"
"But…"Dead Girl began. Kitty held her back.
"I take it the GRSO believed we were responsible in the first place," Betsy said.
"You assume correctly," Xavier said. "I think we need to have a serious discussion about your actions."
"I think we need an agent," Tabitha quipped.
"Tabitha…" Jean said. "Rachel said that in her time the GRSO hunted mutants."
"Well it hasn't come to that yet," Xavier said. "Right now they're being used as a police force specially trained to deal with mutants out of control."
"Three guesses what their idea of a mutant that's out of control is," Amara said.
"You mean they're gonna let those storm troopers just round up any mutant they want?" Rogue asked. "That stinks!"
"Like it or not they're pretty much the law as far as mutants are concerned in this state," Logan said.
"What about X-Factor?" Kitty said. "I thought that's why they were being put together."
"They're more for national emergencies I'm afraid," Xavier told them. "Now as for your punishment…"
"There is not going to be any punishment!" Jean snapped. "We did nothing wrong! And I am not going to let you do anything to the girls because they did nothing worth being punished!"
"Whoa," Tabitha blinked. "Way to go Jean."
"I think this is a discussion that Jean and I should have alone," Xavier spoke sternly.
"You bet we're going to discuss this," Jean snapped.
"Okay," Logan said. "I think we'd better get out of here." The girls and Logan left the room.
"Clearly we have a problem with this," Xavier frowned when they were alone.
"I don't see the problem here," Jean snapped. "All we did was go to a mall. It was hardly the worst thing we ever done. I approved it and I told Scott where we were going."
"You should have asked me first! What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that maybe it would be a good thing for a group of us to try and have a normal afternoon like any other group of teenage girls," Jean fumed. "I mean what good is it to try and convince people that mutants are just like everyone else if even we don't believe it ourselves! We can't just live our lives behind these walls forever, always training for fights!"
"I didn't say that!" Xavier told her. "But you saw yourself how dangerous things are now. Anti-Mutant hysteria is still high. We can't risk any more provocation with…"
"So your solution is to just stay home and try and hide from the world?" Jean interrupted him. "To segregate ourselves from society? I mean look at us! We're always in some kind of fight. To the public we're no different than nearly any other mutant gang! We should be looking for ways to educate people in non-violent ways that co existence between humans and mutants is possible. Not barricading ourselves in a fortress constantly learning new ways to beat our enemies up!"
"I agree with you but the fact is the world is a very hostile place to mutants," Xavier said.
"And most of them live outside these walls!" Jean pointed out. "We have to start finding ways of showing people that mutants and humans can live together or none of us will live at all!"
"This isn't like you Jean," Xavier narrowed his eyes. "Your perceptions have obviously been altered due to your telepathic contact with Rachel."
"And it's a good thing too," Jean said. "I saw what happened to her…What could happen to everyone! And it scared the hell out of me. If anything she's proof that there's a very good chance that your dream could fail! We have to take steps now more than ever to see that doesn't happen! You know I'm right."
Xavier sighed aloud. He folded his hands. "And what would you suggest we do? How else do we counter this possible nightmare?"
"Well it couldn't hurt for us to get some good PR," Jean said. "Maybe Tabitha is right for once. A good Public Relations Agent might help stem some of the damage. I mean even Stryker and Purity have one! We need to do more things to show mutants in a positive light. Especially around Bayville. This is our home! If we're afraid to even walk down the street in our own town, what hope does any mutant have anywhere?"
Xavier thought. "You do have a point. Perhaps I have been so afraid and concerned about the safety of my students I've neglected to do what I originally created this school to do. To make it a place where mutants can learn to use their powers for good and to educate them in the ways of peace. Rachel's future frightens me as well. We can't allow it to happen."
"I have another suggestion," Jean said. "My professor Dr. Sterisin is very open to mutant/human relations. He's taught me so much about genetics. Maybe we should ask him if he could come to the school and work with the students?"
"Well I'll have to clear him first but I don't think that's going to be a problem," Xavier said. "I mean he is just a scientist after all."
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"Calm down Gyrich, it's hardly the soldiers' fault that the latest subject escaped," A chubby, black haired scientist with a mustache spoke on the videophone.
"Dr. Windsor," Gyrich sighed. "You know these mutants are a menace! They must be controlled as soon as possible! And Magneto and those X-Men are the biggest threat of all!"
"You heard Eddington's orders," Dr. Windsor said. "The X-Men are to be kept off limits for now. And that goes for the Misfits as well."
"It galls me to think that those freaks are left to run loose…" Gyrich grumbled.
"We can deal with them later," Dr. Windsor said. "We have more important matters. You have the details of the mutant I told you about?"
"The one that can suppress mutant energy? I've sent my best men out to retrieve him," Gyrich said.
"That one is the most important to our cause," Dr. Windsor said. "He is the key to keeping the mutants under control when Project Neverland is ready."
"Don't worry," Gyrich grinned. "We'll get that freak."
"Remember, we need him alive! Dr. Windsor out!" He shut down the videophone and changed back into his usual self. "All is falling into place."
"Sorry about Magneto and the X-Dorks getting in the way of your latest specimen Mr. Sinister," Riptide said as he walked in.
"No matter, there will always be plenty of subjects I can work on," Sinister grinned.
"But I thought you were working with the Hellfire Club and now you're with the government? What gives?" Riptide asked.
"Project Neverland will give me plenty of subjects whose DNA I can use," Sinister grinned. "I can use the most useful ones for the Hellfire Club."
"So you're like killing two birds with one stone?" Riptide asked.
"Precisely," Sinister nodded. "Now I need you to go to this address and pick up a certain package for me. And for crying out loud try not to blow up the dealer this time! Good procurers of illegal DNA and serums are so hard to find."
"Not my fault the chump wanted to back out of the deal," Riptide took the card and left.
Ring! Ring!
"Hmmm, who's calling now?" Sinister looked at his phone line. "Oh the wonders of caller ID. Makes life so much easier. Ah the Xavier Institute. Time for Dr. Sterisin to respond to a house call."
He mimicked his voice to his other alter ego. "Hello? Dr. Sterisin's office? Oh hello Jean. How marvelous to hear from you. What can I do for you? Really? Why…Yes. Yes I'd love to meet your professor! Really? That's a wonderful idea. Are you sure the students would…? Well in that case by all means. You know you should bring some of your friends on campus one day. I'd love to show them my lab and my research. Yes I think they would find it most educational. We'll set it up. Oh and I'd love to meet that young man of yours, Scott was it? Yes be sure to bring him. What? Can't a professor want to meet his favorite pupil's boyfriend? All right, it's a date. To coin a phrase. See you soon." He hung up the phone.
"This is turning out much better than I could have ever dreamed of," Sinister grinned. "I thought this would take years to get my hands on the X-Men's DNA, but thanks to Miss Grey…My work will be ahead of schedule by at least two years. I can hardly wait for our first field trip."
And he laughed. "It won't be long now…"
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"How much longer are we gonna be stuck here?" Nocturne asked. The Exiles team was having a meeting without Joseph and Rachel.
"Why are we still here?" Magnus asked. "That kid we were supposed to save from a riot was Rachel who caused the riot in the first place!"
"I thought we were here to help Rachel?" Morph scratched his head.
"Yes, but there are other loose ends that need to be taken care of," Mimic told them. "That's all the Tallus will tell us."
"Then perhaps I should tell you more," The Timebroker appeared. "Specifically we need to rescue a boy named Dorian Leech."
"Oh no," Magnus groaned. "Just what we need! Another power dampening little green stinkwad to muck up our powers and make our lives more difficult!"
"Remember the last time we encountered Leech?" Blink said. "It took us a week to escape that Weapon X complex! This is gonna be just like before!"
"Yes but this Leech has an extra quirk," Timebroker told them. "In addition to shutting down mutant powers he can also shut down electrical and other power sources. As well as being a limited precog."
"Well that's a pretty powerful quirk," Morph remarked.
"A quirk powerful enough that if he falls into the hands of Neverland, it will be a disaster," Timebroker said.
"Oh please tell me you are referring to Michael Jackson's ranch," Morph groaned.
"Not bloody likely," Nocturne grumbled. "Knowing our luck."
"Your assessment is correct," Timebroker said.
"Not that keeping a kid from being a guinea pig is a bad thing, but what makes this Leech so special that we have to keep him out of Neverland?" Sunfire asked.
"As you know, in every Neverland we've encountered in each reality the complex is powered by an experimental energy fission weapon," The Timebroker explained. "And also they used that technology in conjunction with Leech's physiology to keep their prisoners under control."
"Yeah they hook up the kid to some machine in order to use his powers to nullify the other mutant's powers," Nocturne nodded. "So?"
"So, because of this extra quirk, this Leech will cause a chain reaction if he is captured and the good folks at Neverland try it," The Timebroker told them. "They'll think they'll be able to control it, but they won't. And as a result…"
"What?" Magnus asked.
"In a word," The Timebroker sighed. "Boom."
"Boom?" Morph gulped.
"Boom," The Timebroker nodded. "A very big boom."
"How big a boom are we talking about?" Mimic asked.
"A big one," Timebroker said.
"Really, really, really big?" Morph asked. "As in Chernobyl big?"
"More like as in that big meteor bringing in the ice age and wiping out all the dinosaurs big," The Timebroker said.
"That's a big boom," Sunfire gulped.
"To prevent this from happening we must insure that in this reality, Neverland must not exist! I only pray that we find the boy in time," Timebroker sighed.
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"Mom! Mom! We gotta keep going!" Dorian pulled at his mother's arm. "The bad men are gonna get us if we don't!"
Mrs. Leech gasped and tried to ignore the pain in her side. Less than a year ago they had moved to Chicago after the Bayville incident in order to get away from the anti-mutant hysteria. Tragically it had followed them. Most of the time Mrs. Leech was forced to keep her son hidden in their small house. But that wasn't possible anymore. Not since their house had been burned to the ground.
It was Dorian who had warned her. Somehow he had foreseen the attack and run out the back of the house just before the strange soldiers advanced. Now they were running for their lives in a junkyard somewhere.
Mrs. Leech fell down and twisted her ankle. "OW!"
"Mom!" Dorian went to her side.
"Dorian run!" Mrs. Leech screamed as five solders approached. "Forget about me!"
"No! I won't leave you!" Dorian clung to his mother.
"End of the line freak!" The soldiers pointed their weapons at him.
"Leave him alone! He's just a child!" Mrs. Leech clung to her son.
"He's a mutie! And we're gonna lock him away where he belongs!" The soldier snapped.
"NO!" Dorian stepped in front of his mother and activated his powers, knocking out all the lights in the street and deactivating the soldier's lasers.
"Cute trick kid!" One soldier pulled out a club and used it to knock Dorian down. "Good thing we were warned about you!"
Dorian was knocked unconscious. The lights went back on. "Leave him alone!" Mrs. Leech managed to get to her feet but was restrained by two soldiers. "DORIAN!"
"We got the boy," The commanding soldier said. "Call base and tell them to pick him up."
"What about her?" Another soldier asked indicating Mrs. Leech.
"She's expendable," The commander pulled out his pistol and went to pull the trigger.
Only to have the weapon fly out of his hands and disintegrate right before his eyes. "What the…?"
"Threatening women and children?" A shrouded figure snarled and leapt in front of him. "Yeah you're real tough!" The figure swept his leg out and knocked the soldier down. He faced the other soldiers. "If I were you, I'd let her go…"
"Yeah and how are you…" A soldier holding Mrs. Leech asked before his weapons started to disintegrate around him. The soldiers were even more startled when the lithe figure in black revealed his face. A green scaled face with long green hair and some gold marks on his golden eyes.
"These are your weapons…" The mutant hissed. "And these are your weapons torn into tiny little bits. Microscopic bits if you get my drift. I could do the same to you if I really wanted. But there's a lady present…"
"What you have just experienced is a mild disturbance of the space time continuum," A black man with glasses, jeans and a turtleneck appeared. "My friend is very good at what he does. And so am I!"
Suddenly the soldiers gasped and fell to the ground. Mrs. Leech was in shock. "Don't worry," The man with glasses said. "They won't be able to remember their names much less the two of you."
"Yeah but something tells me that they'll be back," The strange mutant said. "Postman, get whatever you can!" He knelt down. "The boy looks all right but we'd better bring him back to the Vault to be safe."
"Who are you?" She gasped.
"Friends," The strange mutant told her. "If you want to live you and your kid better come with us!"
Mrs. Leech had no choice but to grab Dorian and do so.
Who are these strange mutants? What will happen to Dorian and his mother? What is Sinister planning? Who's the Black Queen and what part does she have to play? Will the Exiles be able to do anything useful for a change? Read and see.
And in case I have forgotten: Anybody who wants to work with the Misfits is welcome to do so. Go ahead. Go play with them! I don't mind!