I.
The mornings and evenings were the most hectic times at the newspaper office. In the mornings, everyone rushed to get assignments for the next day's paper. During the evening time, everyone was busy editing and adding any last minute developments to those stories before they went to print. Around noon time things would quiet down only slightly.
Graylon Walsh always loved the hustle and bustle of the newsroom. It never got old to him. It was like having an adventure everyday. However, it didn't compare to the days of Generation X, where he lived what other reporters only wrote about. He pushed those thoughts aside though, convinced that those days were long gone.
It had been quite some time since he had actually talked to any of his old teammates. There weren't any hard feelings between them but work and other excuses served as viable reasons not to call. Plus, Graylon was acutely aware of the happenings at the Xavier School for Higher Learning and things hadn't exactly been smooth. Even if he wanted to, Graylon wouldn't have been able to just stop by for a minute to shoot the breeze. Plus, only a few weeks ago, Jean Grey-Summers was murdered by a figure claiming to be Magneto. Since then, the school had been in constant turmoil and change. But no matter now much he reasoned, Graylon couldn't shake his guilt for not stopping in.
Graylon leaned back from his desk and glanced out the window. Night had fallen and the sky was riddled with twinkling stars. He admired the sky for a moment then sat back down, glancing once more at the real-time website he was on. The Hype posted news blurbs from across the world on a message board. It was constantly changing and updating, giving reporters around the world a glance into what was happening. Graylon stumbled across it one day surfing the internet and since then, he had made it one of his favorites. If he was on his computer, The Hype was always up on his screen.
Graylon was about to close the window when another message popped up. It came from Easton, England. The city sounded familiar, but Graylon couldn't place it immediately. As Graylon read through the article, he frowned. It claimed that a man had fallen inexplicably from the sky and from rumor had it that it was Thomas Cale, long-lost member of the Cale family. Then Graylon remembered. Rich Cale's family lived in Easton.
The next thing that alarmed Graylon was the fact that the man had fallen from the sky. Though most would have immediately dismissed the story as a tabloid hoax, Graylon wasn't so sure, especially if Rich was somehow involved.
The article went on to say that he was taken to the hospital, but he was in stable condition. They were still waiting to confirm the man's identity before printing the story. Another story caught his eye regarding a rampaging knight. Graylon didn't usually jump to conclusions but somehow, it seemed much too coincidental that Rich's grandfather suddenly appeared and some knight was now wreaking havoc on the local population. Graylon wondered if Rich knew what was going on. And more importantly, was it something serious that he couldn't handle alone?
Graylon sighed and chastised himself. He was thinking of himself, jumping into the center of some situation to relive the adventurous days as a superhero mutant teen. He wasn't a superhero. Not anymore. He was Graylon Walsh, reporter for the Daily Bugle and if anything, his interest in this was going to have to be from a reporter's perspective.
He quickly ran a cross reference on the Cale family and came across several articles telling about Rich assuming the head position of Paladin Technologies and accepting his inheritance. It also talked about his cousin and a recent incident with a criminal who broke out of jail. That story referenced an earlier story, where Rich testified in a case against the criminal.
Then Graylon came to a complete halt. An article describing his parent's murder filled the screen. Out of all the time Graylon knew Rich, he never made mention of anything like that, but then again, it made sense that he wouldn't want to talk about it. He saw several articles about it, almost turning the traumatic situation into a sensationalized tragedy. That would explain Rich's aversion to reporters.
He continued to read then he saw the date. In only two days, it would be exactly ten years ago. Graylon wasn't psychic by any means, but having a keen eye for coincidences and being able to piece clues together, Graylon felt that something was going to happen. Something big. Now, he knew he wasn't jumping to conclusions. All these things were related and Rich would need help, whether he realized it or not.
Graylon knew what he had to do. He closed down his computer, placed the last of his papers in his satchel, turned off his computer and made his way to his boss's office, the infamous J. Jonah Jameson.
"And why is the superstar reporter, Graylon Walsh, heading to the boss's office? A hot lead maybe?" Alicia Livingston stepped from around a corner and stood directly in Graylon's path. A sly grin was plastered on her face as she stared at Graylon, waiting for his answer.
"Alicia?" Graylon was surprised by her sudden appearance, but somehow, he knew she would show up sooner or later. Because she appointed herself to be Graylon's rival, Alicia made it a point to be where he was ready to steal his story for her own fame and glory. Though he had tried to talk her out of her childish game, Alicia continued to challenge him around every turn.
"You wouldn't be so surprised if you weren't up to something. So you'd better answer me truthfully."
Graylon sighed. Didn't she ever get tired of this?
He replied, "Look, I'm not playing this your game. Something serious may be happening. I'm going to see the boss."
He edged around Alicia impatiently and briskly turned the corner, but Alicia was right on his heels.
"Why are you following me, Alicia?" Graylon asked, already knowing the answer, but wistfully hoping that she simply happened to be going in the same direction as him.
"Richard Cale Jr. His parents were murdered almost ten years ago. He inherited Paladin Technologies when he was still a kid. He made his mark in the States by joining Xavier's school, along with our star reporter. Only recently did he take a leave of absence to take care of his business along with his cousin and adopted sister. Apparently, a mysterious fellow fell from the sky, who could be his long-lost grandfather. Coincidentally, the three-year anniversary of his parents' death is in three days. And you figure that something's going on."
"Do you have anything better to do than to snoop around my desk?"
"Don't be so vain. Everyone knows your clandestine connection with any mutant team with an X in front of it. And everyone knows about your connections abroad, such as with the Asahara family, St. Croix family, and the Cale family. Anything with those key phrases pops up on my screen. You won't keep the hot stories all for yourself anymore, Walsh."
Graylon rolled his eyes. "Always one step in front of me, aren't you, Alicia?" he sarcastically asked. He prayed that she would catch the sarcasm and not give a smart-ass reply. He wasn't in the mood for a verbal fencing match.
When he got to Jameson's secretary, Graylon spun and faced Alicia who stopped abruptly. "Listen, this is way above your head. I know you love to play this rival reporter game, but this isn't the time."
"I'm not playing games, Walsh. And you're not setting foot outside this country without me. Now, let's see J.J." She brushed past him and without knocking, strode into J. Jonah Jameson's office.
"I know about the Cale situation, Walsh. I'm assigning you and Livingston to the story. Get with your X-people and get to England on the double," Jameson barked his orders with a cigar in his mouth that magically stayed in his mouth regardless of whether he was talking or yelling. Having finished what he needed to say, Jameson turned back to the papers on his desk, barked some orders at the secretary, and flipped through more papers.
"Why are you sending Alicia with me to England?" Graylon tried unsuccessfully to hide the anger in his voice.
J.J. shuffled through some papers on his desk, seeming not to even hear Graylon's protest.
"Boss!" Graylon slammed his hands on Jameson's oak desk.
Jameson looked up slowly in disbelief, his bushy eyebrows rising in anger. "You need something, Walsh?" Jameson barked.
"Why is she," Graylon pointed to make his reference clear, "going with me? Rich is an old friend of mine. I'm not going there for a story. Tell her she can't go."
J.J. crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Wherever you go, she goes. This Rich Cale character is full of drama. Drama that this newspaper is going to have the scoop on. Your little personal relationship with Cale is going to taint your eye for good reporting. But I like you Walsh, so I'm sending Livingston to make sure you get the story."
It seemed impossible, but Graylon turned an even deeper shade of red. "His life isn't just a sitcom that you can tune into when you're interested."
"Are you saying that you want to quit, Walsh?"
Graylon stepped back uncertainly. The last thing Graylon expected was to lose his job. He prided himself on his writing ability and knack for identifying the stories that people wanted to read about. Ever since he was a young boy, Graylon aspired to be a reporter. Lucky for him, J. Jonah Jameson was an old family friend and took an instant liking to Graylon, seeing him almost as another son.
J.J landed Graylon a job as a student reporter for the newspaper in Snow Valley. After joining Xavier's, Graylon took a break from reporting, but picked it back up eventually. Since then, he worked co-jointly with the newspaper in Snow Valley and the Daily Bugle. To lose his job now would be a severe blow not only to Graylon's pride but to his work as well. No one would want to hire a reporter fired from a newspaper, especially one as well-known as the Daily Bugle. It was suicide.
"No," he weakly replied, drained of his fire.Graylon sighed and turned to leave. However, Graylon turned and made one last attempt at reconciling the situation. "You know this isn't right."
"What, you don't like Alicia?"
"We're rivals. Why would I like her?"
J.J. gave an expression that could have been interpreted as amusement. "In this business, your enemy is your best friend. Now go on before I assign the both of you to the kiddy circus coming into town."
Alicia's jaw dropped with horror, "I hate kids."
"Good. Now get out. You have an X-plane to catch."
Knowing that further argument was useless, Graylon glared at Alicia who returned with a smug smile. He spun on his heel and stormed out of the office intending to slam the door, but Alicia was in the way.
Alicia would do nothing but complicate the situation, especially if something happened. No one knew about Graylon's mutant ability. He could generate a bioelectric pulse which could do anything from stun an organic being to render them unconscious. Graylon hadn't used his power since leaving the school though. So there was no need for anyone else to know. Everyone did know that he attended the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, but since normal (those without mutant powers) students went there, everyone simply assumed he fell into that category. So not only was his story in jeopardy, but now his secret could be revealed.
On top of that, how would the X-Men feel about a reporter on the premises? He hadn't really talked to anyone there in a while. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a big issue. Graylon hoped that Nightcrawler or Angel could give them a lift in the Blackbird, without asking a lot of questions. Plus, maybe he'd get a chance to see some of his old classmates. He thought about it and he realized he didn't know what any of them were up to.
Graylon was so immersed in his thoughts that he ran right into Peter Parker.
"Sorry about that," Graylon apologized as he stepped back. "Oh, Mr. Parker."
Peter smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Graylon. Looks like J.J.'s not in a particularly good mood."
Graylon rolled his eyes. "Is he ever? He's especially sharp today, so watch out. And my mood isn't that hot either," Graylon motioned at Alicia. She hit him in the arm.
"Ahh, I take it he put you two together on a story. Everyone knows that you're rivals."
"In her eyes," Graylon sourly replied. He glanced down at the stack of papers in Peter's hands. "Hey, are those more pictures of Spiderman?"
Peter grinned. "Yeah. It'll keep J.J. off my back for a few weeks."
Something that Graylon had been thinking about for a while suddenly came to his mind. "Look, I don't mean to be nosy, but it seems like the paper always paints Spiderman in a terrible light. Doesn't the public know that he's one of the good guys?"
Peter shook his head. "It doesn't matter what the papers or reporters say. What matters in the end is what the heroes accomplish. No one is ever going to see their pain, their sacrifices, or their losses. And most won't understand. But here," Peter made a fist and hit his chest softly, "here is where it matters. At the end of the day, despite what the papers may say, if you know in your heart that you've given it your all, you should be able to look in the mirror and be happy with the reflection you see."
Graylon opened his mouth to say something, but Jameson bellowed Peter's name, disrupting the conversation.
"Looks like the boss is calling. I've got to run. Good luck with your story." Peter continued to smile as he picked up his pace and jogged around the corner, leaving Graylon in contemplative thought.
Recently, Graylon pondered over his decision to pursue his career rather than become a superhero. He matured during his time with the other mutant teens at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Though having his life placed in danger at any given moment wasn't exactly the way he envisioned spending the rest of his life, Graylon was secure in the fact that he was helping people on some level. Whether they were thwarting some bad guy bent on world domination or helping out the local police force in Snow Valley, Graylon used his powers proudly and without hesitation.
But now in his current job, he didn't have that same feeling of accomplishment. Sure he was helping people by getting them the most current, up-to-date information happening in the city, but as a reporter, he also had to sometimes unjustly expose the lives of people just for the newsroom's sake. And that was the part that bothered him.
Besides that, he initially left Xavier's because of all the negative press they were getting. Unlike Peter, Graylon had let what people said affect his decision. And now, truth be told, he regretted it.
"So it looks like you're stuck with me," Alicia smugly commented, breaking through Graylon's thoughts.
He now focused on the present situation. Graylon had been paired with Alicia Livingston, one of the most ambitious (that was a nice way of putting it) reporters that the Daily Bugle had seen in a long time. Though she was attractive, many people were put off by her aggressiveness and brusque nature. Graylon had thought a while ago about asking her out, but somehow, she had seen his flirtatiousness as a way for him to undercut her. So, Alicia had dubbed him as her rival and sought to trample him at every turn. Though her efforts were usually unrewarded, she got what she wanted this time, much to Graylon's disappointment.
"Look, just don't get in the way. Rich doesn't take kindly to nosy, bossy, stuck-up reporters," he shortly replied.
Alicia strode confidently past Graylon. "Well, I'm sure he'll like me just fine. I don't know about you though. So, where are we off to?"
Graylon wondered how he was going to get through the next few days without strangling her. Or throwing himself from a high building.
"We're going to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in the morning. I'll pick you up at five."
Graylon and Alicia parted ways. He made a quick call then settled behind the wheel of his car, a grey 2002 Nissan Altima. Graylon finally let his guard down and relaxed a little. He took advantage of this time, because once he set foot on Xavier's estate, he knew that things wouldn't be calm. And he couldn't have possibly known how right he was.