Hey everyone!

I know, I KNOW! I said no updates till August...but...MEH! My work has a computer, and on my time off I can come in here and type away! I'm only able to do it two or three times every 2 weeks, but it's enough!

If there are any format issues...please dont complain. Be grateful that I'm even able to UPDATE!

I'm also sorry it's so short...not much I can do there.

ALSO!

All the OC mutants I'm writing are based on REAL people! Heck, I'M even in there somewhere! The names are obviously changed, but the personalities are as accurate as I can physically make them! So enjoy!

PLEASE REVIEW! Is it good so far? Realistic enough...engaging? Mildly entertaining?

=D


Chapter 2: Diving In


The thunder cracked overhead, seeming to shake the ground and fill the air with underlying tension. The clouds roiled and boiled together in ceaseless harmony as the water poured down in icy torrents, coating the city of Malibu in a watery sheet of rain. The streets were practically empty save for two figures - one was seated in a wheelchair, while the other pushed the contraption along. These two did not pause to revel in Nature's glory, instead bowing their heads against the sheets of water and continuing onward with a definite air of purpose. The trees grew healthily on either side of the road, for the two figures were no longer in the small circlet of shops that resided parallel to the long-stretching beach.

It was winter in Malibu, California, and yet the rain was refreshing and neutral as opposed to the harsh biting hail and snow that the two European men were accustomed to. The trees were thick and green, littering the road below with their small yellow-cream blossoms. The young man in the wheelchair frowned as he reached down to gently pick one of the freshly fallen flowers off of the cement.

"Such strange weather they have here...wouldn't you agree?" Charles Xavier murmured, twirling the flower - its petals were dusted with glimmering water droplets - in his bare fingers. The tall man behind him scoffed, dark gray-blue eyes flickering around in scorn.

"The target wont last one day back at base..." Erik Lensherr commented dryly, and Charles scowled at his companion.

"Have a little more faith please, Erik."

Erik didn't answer, and the young telepath rolled his eyes before focusing once more through the shimmery silver rain that created a dim haze over everything. They were approaching the first lines of houses now, and he quickly referred to the small sheet that held the target's address. His bright blue eyes narrowed, and his gaze rested on the numbers marking the first house.

"Her house number is 57, so it'll be on the right," Charles spoke clearly, and Erik grunted to let his friend know that his statement was heard. The minutes ticked by in silence, and Erik grumbled as he pulled the back of his raincoat up higher, as a small trickle of water had found its way down the back of his neck and into his shirt.

Charles refused to let his nervousness show - it was their first recruitment since the momentous battle on the beach nearly a month ago - and instead straightened his hat on his head as Erik slowed to a stop in front of a small, brown-white colored house. Two faded black numbers confirmed that the house was indeed the house they were looking for, and Charles took in the feel of it. The area was clean and well-kept, with large spiky bushes growing along the small path that led up to the door, and small roses crawling up the wooden porch. Soft light shone through the windows, and Charles saw shapes passing in front of the wide window. His stomach tightened, but he did not protest when Erik began wheeling him up the path.

Charles wondered what the girl's power would be. Cerebro was still in the beginning stages, and as a result nothing could be gained on the mutant in question but their location and appearance. How would he and Erik manage to reveal her ability? Did her parents know? It was highly unlikely, mutants were still rare and isolated, and he highly doubted that a girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen would be keen on making her power a well-known fact.

Charles had been surprised at how much the girl resembled Raven in her former favorite blonde appearance, and that had been partially why Charles had been so keen to start with this particular target.

Erik carefully used his ability to lift Charles's metal wheelchair over the precarious wooden steps, careful to loudly step on the stairs to alert the family of their presence. The voices - which had been slightly audible before the beginning of their assent - stopped suddenly, and Erik slowly locked gazes with Charles in the few seconds they had before one of them was forced to knock.

Charles had no doubt that Erik was perfectly capable of getting the girl on their side. He had a persuasive charm to his appearance that invited people in...but Charles still held back. The telepath also knew that Erik was still struggling to amend his thought concerning regular humans, and so Charles spoke quietly just before politely knocking on the door.

"Let me do the talking, alright?" he said, and before Erik could agree or argue, knocked firmly on the painted white door. There was a moment of silence, then the sound of footsteps approaching the two of them could be heard.

The door opened slowly to reveal a boy - he couldn't have been more than twelve years old - with large blue eyes and curly brown-blonde hair. His face crumpled in confusion at the appearance of two young men at the doorway, and Charles spoke as kindly as possible.

"Hello young man, are your parents home?"

The boy shook his head. Erik gave Charles an exasperated glance at the boy's lack of information, but Charles shook his head and continued, smiling warmly at the boy.

"Is there someone else we could talk to?"

The boy nodded, and before he could speak, the teenage mutant from Cerebro appeared at the door, her face hardened with wariness as she protectively stepped in front of her brother. Erik smiled widely, and the girl's voice was forced in its politeness as a result.

"May I help you?"

The girl was obviously dressed for bed, as she was in a loose fitting shirt that reached mid-thigh, under which a pair of flannel shorts were barely visible. Her dark blonde hair - it had been long in Charles's flash of her in Cerebro a few months ago - went to her shoulders in wavy layers, and her eyes were a bright green-blue in color. Charles smiled at her, and she crossed her arms over her chest, turning to speak to her brother.

"Are you ready to go to Gabe's, Sean?" she asked, and Sean responded affirmatively, his large blue eyes flickering toward the two mutants at the door. The girl sighed, and handed the boy his overnight backpack, watching carefully as Sean carefully skirted Charles and Erik, running off down the street - inevitably toward his friend's house. Then she turned to face the mutants once more, her eyes more openly hostile now.

Charles refrained from entering her mind, content to let her think whatever she wanted about himself and Erik without fear of being caught. He didn't blame her for her distrust. In their old-fashioned hats and large cloaks, there was no doubt that they made a rather unusual and intimidating impression.

The telepath smiled, holding out a hand as he said, "Hello, my name is Charles Xavier, and this is my colleague Erik Lensherr."

The girl flicked her hair over her shoulder, and hesitantly held out a hand to shake it with Charles. Her hand was small for someone of her height, and Charles felt a stab of remorse for the frightened tenseness in her grip. The poor child...she probably was under the impression that Charles and Erik were kidnappers or burglars. Not that that wasn't an illogical conclusion on her part.

"Hi...I'm Caitlyn Post. My parents are at work; they should be back any minute, if you want to wait," she said curtly, and the lie was clear in her eyes. Charles quickly snapped a shot of her thoughts, too brief to get a read on her emotions, but enough to find the truth.

Mom and Dad aren't gonna be back for at least two hours...shit shit shit!

Charles relaxed, and leaned forward slightly. "Caitlyn, may we please come in?"

Caitlyn's face paled, and she reached for the metal door handle. Erik rolled his eyes, and suddenly the handle was gone. Caitlyn did not scream, for which Charles was thankful, but her mouth dropped as she watched the handle float in mid-air a few feet from her still outstretched hand. Erik held out a hand, and the metal piece slowly drifted into his waiting fingers. He examined the handle, and cocked his head slightly to the side.

"Hm...I showed you mine, so how about you show me yours, sweetheart?"

Caitlyn's face slowly shifted. At first, it was panic. Then, it slowly melded into shock, and wary understanding. She silently held open the door for them to enter, and Charles nodded in thanks as Erik wheeled him inside.

The house was relatively small, and the doorway led immediately into the living room, where there were several leather armchairs facing a long blanket-covered couch. Caitlyn sat down rather rudely, not even bothering to make sure the two men were seated, but Charles brushed it off as a result of just witnessing a man levitate a doorknob. He wheeled himself so he was facing Caitlyn, and Erik casually seated himself on the long couch.

There was a moment of tense silence, and then Caitlyn cleared her throat. "So...you two are..."

"The preferred term is mutants; and yes, we are mutants. So are you. There is nothing to fear. My companion and I are just here to help you," Charles assured Caitlyn gently, and she bit her lip. The girl's eyes flickered toward Erik and then back to Charles, and the thought that passed through her mind was so blatant that Charles could not block it, and sharply responded.

"No, Erik and I are not homosexual in any way. So lay your suspicions to rest."

Erik's brow rose, and a amused snort escaped him as he crossed his legs. "You obviously haven't seen many homosexuals, sweetheart, if you assume that of Charles and I after only...five minutes or so." The metal-wielding man saw how her brow furrowed angrily at the pet-name. "Sorry, I always give names to little girls..."

"I'm seventeen!" she practically growled, and Erik laughed.

"As I was saying, little girls-"

Charles waved a hand to stop the senseless argument, and Caitlyn reluctantly focused her attention back onto the telepath. Erik smirked, settling back into the cushions. Charles rested his elbows on his knees, and smiled slightly.

"Anyway, we're here to offer you a place at our institute. It's an academy of sorts, where you will be taught alongside other mutants, and where you will learn to harness your ability. We're still in the beginning stages, but we assure you that you will be safe and cared for, and your parents will only have to pay a minimal fee to send you for the entire year."

Caitlyn frowned. "Wait...so you just want me to pack up and go? I have friends here, I have family! Why should I-"

Erik interrupted, "Because there are many people who feel that mutants should be used as weapons, that they're somehow less than human. If you stay here, you will be found out. There will be a time - no matter how careful you are - that you will need to use your power to help someone you love...and then all will be lost. They will find you, Caitlyn. That much I can promise."

Charles noted the pain in Erik's eyes, and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. The memory came rushing in, before Charles - he was still trying to perfect his mental shields - could block it out.


Erik watched in horror as he was separated from his father and mother, being pushed along by the crowd, the rain pouring down and filling his eyes along with his tears. The gates closed with a chilling clang, and Erik began to run back, dodging the arms of the Nazis.

"ERIK!"

The guards were holding him back now, trying to pull him away, but he fought and kicked with all of his strength. His mother was crying his name over and over again, her face pale and ashen as she tried to reach him. His father called, but the roar of the blood in Erik's ears overpowered everything else.

"MAMA!"

There was a need inside him, a deep pull as he stretched out his hand, trying, reaching, pleading-

The metal was quivering with hesitant purpose, but Erik didn't notice, focused solely on his crying parents. No, no, no, they had to come back, he had to reach them somehow, he had to bring them back-

The gates suddenly bent toward Erik with a jarring wrench, and the butt of a gun was the last thing Erik saw before everything went black.


Charles opened his eyes, and noticed that Caitlyn was just finishing a sentence.

"-are others like me? Really?" Erik nodded, and her eyes were soft as she stared at her hands. "My parents don't know...they wouldn't have to...would they?"

"Only as much as you're willing to tell them," Charles said, and Caitlyn frowned, staring out the window at the rainy sky. The thunder boomed, sending the house lights flickering slightly before they settled back to their usual brightness. Erik gave Charles a look before asking loudly.

"So what can you do, other than look pretty?"

Caitlyn fumed, but smirked as she put her chin in her palm, fixing Erik with a deadpan stare.

"I...I'm fast."

Charles knew in that moment that they had won this particular battle, and his grin was almost too large to contain.

One down. Only a few dozen more to go.

And this was only the beginning.