Disclaimer- I don't own the X-Men. They belong to Marvel Comics.

Mutant High Episode 3- "Shades of Red"

Chapter 1

Scott Summers was a very confused young man. It appeared everything that happened to him was just one confusing event after another. It seems that some guys just can't get a break.

And to think, at one time, the most confusing thing in Scott's life was statistic combinations.There was not a lot of sound, wherever Scott was. There did seem to be, however, an abundance of cloth, which was made evident by the fact it was wrapped around his head in a very thorough manner.It had been quite distressing to him, for when he awoke and tried to open his eyes, he found that he couldn't.

Now what?

Maybe you should say something."Hello?""He's awake!" shouted Alex. Well, that's a good sign, Scott decided. His parents were there, too. And Remy. And a nurse. He must be in the hospital. But why?Remy leaned to his ear. "You've been in an accident, Scott. You hit your head real bad."

Scott remembered. There was a fight- a big one. Six on six. It had come down to all of them in the end against one girl. One beautiful, dangerous, girl.

"How long have I been out?"

"A couple of hours," replied his mother.

Scott could feel it in the silence- there was something they were neglecting to tell him.

"Is there a reason my eyes are bound shut?"

The silence grew even thicker.

Rogue hated hospitals- the knowledge that she had once sent someone there had never quite left her feeling comfortable around them. Even in passing medical dramas while channel surfing, they always put her off. Sometimes, in the back of her mind, she wanted to go back to Mississippi, go back to that one little bed in the children's ward and see if Cody was still there.

But more often, she wished she had never put him there in the first place.

Cody's memories were the first she had ever taken- being 10 at the time, there wasn't much there. The most scandalous thing was the way in which he and his friends would go visit porn sites during sleepovers, and even then, it was purely for humor's sake.

She had picked up so many memories since then. She had seen so many horrible things. She had seen death, pain, and starvation. She had learned what it was like to never feel loved by her parents. She learned what it felt like to expose yourself to them, to come out to them, only to have them raise their eyebrows. She knew what it was like to not be understood on so many levels.

And now, she knew what it was like to be in love with Scott Summers. And that part of her, the part of Rogue that was Jean Grey was weeping, scared.

Rogue hadn't gone to the hospital, though. She and Dr. Xavier were back at the police station, ready to report exactly how the escape had occurred. When she had touched Freddy Dukes, she had touched the truth.

Wanda marched forward, shoving past her brother to clutch at the cell bars, glaring at the boy inside, Dom Petros."Listen to him, you twit. He's not as much of a jerk as he seems. You aren't going to have a place to go after this. What you did was a big no-no. they're going to hunt you down." Her tone was condescending. Cold. Not at all the warmth that Dom needed.

Freddy wasn't very fond of Wanda. Sure, at first, she had been nice enough. If anything, she was quieter than her brother Pietro, and she spoke much slower than he did, which Freddy appreciated.

But power corrupts. Eric had power, he had given Wanda a taste, and the two of them were still soaring on their ego highs.

But Freddy had been the same after Eric helped him seek revenge. He had felt so on top of the world. But that feeling would fade, eventually. It had faded for him, and it would fade for Wanda. It would fade for the boy in the cell, Dom, if he chose to take Eric's offer.

Of course, Eric would never say it was "his" offer. It was the Brotherhood's offer. Eric always called them a Brotherhood of Mutants. They were rejected by society, and therefore had to accept each other. There is safety in numbers.

Freddy wasn't sure how much he agreed with Eric's methods. He had lived his whole life being different. Before he knew he was a mutant, it was still obvious he was overweight, and he got no less slack for it. All Freddy ever wanted was to feel accepted. Eric wanted to stand out. If you can't be accepted, make them beg to be accepted by you.

It must be how Ivy League colleges feel.

Freddy had been the same way. He couldn't be accepted. That's why he joined up with the Other Brother's circus. He would stand on a platform, hefting objects that no human could ever fathom lifting in the slightest, and people would gape in awe. He'd feel power in front of the crowds.

But behind the scenes, there was nothing but more of the same. "Freaks" may have been the star of the show, but they were freaks nonetheless. They'd never let Freddy forget it.

Having the opportunity to never let them forget it- that was what pushed Freddy over the edge. Eric gave him two choices- fight with law, or fight with force. And with his rotten bosses cackling grin fresh in his mind, Freddy made his choice.

It was the same choice made by John, and by the Maximoff twins. It was the choice about to be made by Dom.

Perhaps Morty, the youngest of the Brotherhood, the lone child, would have chosen otherwise. His naïve smile beamed eternally at Eric- and more recently, Freddy noted, at Wanda as well. It seems that Morty, however, was too young to decide. Eric chose for him.

Did Eric ever make that choice for himself? One had to wonder.

Eric seemed to finish consoling the boy, and as Dom tried to covertly wipe away a tear, Eric turned and smiled.

"Westchester High. It's time that the students of Westchester High learn to appreciate the mutants that walk among them."

Everyone voted that it should be Remy who would break the news. "Scott. I want you to know that I'm here." I'd hope so, thought Scott. If not, who's hand am I holding?

"I was so scared you were going to die. You have no idea. And… you're okay. I mean, you're alive."

"No need to be so grim," Scott laughed. But he couldn't gauge Remy's reaction. You can't hear a person's facial expression.

Remy worked as delicately as he could, which given his demeanor was still fairly rough.. He took his hands to the sides of Scott's head, firmly grasping the edge of the bandage. He pulled, some significant force behind it, and the cloth unraveled. Scott could already sense the change in light.

Was Remy crying? What was going on?

"Open your eyes, Scott."

And he did. He saw his mother, tightly gripping the hands of her younger son, unable to look at Scott. He saw his father, rubbing her shoulder in comfort. He saw his friends- Ororo, Bobby.

Jean.

He saw as his optic laser roared outward, ripping through the blue vinyl curtain, dancing out into the world beyond.

His eyelids flew shut.

"I'm so sorry! I… I didn't mean to…"

And all he could do was cry.

"The name's Forge." The lanky Cherokee man took Scott's hand in his and shook in greeting.

"Good to meet you?" Scott wondered aloud.

Dr. Xavier had called Forge as soon as possible. A technological genius, Xavier reveled. Scott had heard the story before- it was Forge who helped Xavier build the machines and write the programming to work the equipment of the Danger Room.

Today, Forge was there to build something that was in theory, much simpler, though the experiment process would take a while.

Forge had been hired to make Scott a pair of sunglasses.