First Mutant
By David D. Amaya
Chapter 2
"Horsepower, calling Blackboard, Come in. Over."
"Blackboard responding on Romeo, Echo, two-one-six. Over."
"Blackboard, report on Rainbow Trail. Over"
"Rainbow Trail secure. No devices. Over."
"What of AOP? Over."
"Preliminary results in, Horsepower. Stand By.
"Horsepower, preliminary results. No known explosive compounds or signs of tampering. Over"
"So it was a surge? Over."
"Negative, Horsepower. Preliminary testing on electrical systems shows no conclusive evidence. Over."
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Cyrus Parkman's Room, The White House 1200 EST. Day 1
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After finally convincing his mother that the whole incident at the National Place was just a power surge, Cyrus went to his computer to Email Oz back in Seattle about the eventful, but at least dork-suit less, trip.
Oz was the only friend to stick by him after he made the move from the Emerald City to the Nation's Capital, despite Cyrus being over two thousand miles away. And used the hacked account Oz set up for him so that their private thoughts couldn't be monitored by the Secret Service.
To: OzΘUslink .net
Yo, Oz!!
How things on the Sound?
Pretty lame here 'Cross the Potomac.
Hope U ain't watching the tube 2nite.
Took a nas- T wipe out with a 00-Zero.
*IT* happened _again_ :-\
But no coroner, no foul I always say! 'Sides, what they gonna do? Bust *Moi* de First Kid??
Mom 'most went *Postal* on Woods, who nearly went same, but he got his **FINALLY!!!!!**
This new Squirrel, Quarter, did a Bruce Lee move on Woodsie straight to the jugular!
Shudda seen the look on his grill! I thought he'd be filling his boxers with fudge!!:-)
Squirrel took my PSP though. And I was on the Ravine mission too :-(
At lease I didn't bring home any yuppie pampers this year. But nay, can't go stylin' in my Soundgarden Tees though :-\
Guess another year of undercover work in D.W.E.E.B.-vill as Secret Agent "Kewl Dude!"
Cyrus looked up at the poster of Ichiro superimposed next to the Space Needle. That only made him more homesick than that morning.
So how's your crew? BTW, thanks 4 the Pix of your camping trip to Rainer.
Sure miss those days. Guess the only way I'll ever get to see Bainbridge Isle is if El Presidente gets booted outta La Casa Blanco (Didn't think the K-Watt wuz by-lingo, did ya? ;)
A knock on the door startled Cyrus.
"What?" he said to the door, as he turned off the monitor.
"Cyrus," said the disembodied voice of Agent Ziegler. "Can I come in?"
"If I say 'No,' will you leave?"
Opening the door, agent Ziegler only popped his head inside.
"Your father is on the phone, Cyrus. Line four." Then Ziegler closed the door.
"Yo, dad," He said to the Chief Executive on the phone. "How's the weather over there?"
"Just fine, Cyrus," said the President. "I heard about what happened at the National Place this morning. Is everyone all right?"
Didn't need to say 'Are you alright, son?' he thought. "I'm ok, Dad, really no biggie."
"I see Agent Woods was there to protect you."
"Are you kidding dad!" he almost screamed into the phone. "Woodsie wasn't even near there when the power blew! Some other Double O-Zero tackled me like a QB in a blitz.
"I don't like that clown Woods anyway," he continued. "Like I said it was no biggie. I'm ok, but the dressing room could use a fresh coat of Krylon, though."
"As long as no one was seriously hurt," said his dad.
You mean 'As long as you are safe, Son,' "Ok, dad. When ya comin' home?"
"In a few days," said the president. "After that your mother and I have a campaign trip through the South, after you and Andromeda start school."
"Ya sure just love that power rush, don't ya President Dad?" he mumbled.
"What was that, son? I couldn't quite make that out?"
"I said, as long as you have fun, dad" he said.
"Well, we'll be back in Washington for the Senate Hearings on Mutant Affairs at the end of the month. I'll call again soon. Good night Cyrus."
"Night, Dad" he said as he replaced the receiver and powered up his monitor.
Well, gotta be signing off, Oz.
Call ya again tomorrow. Same bat-time, same bat-station.
Then he clicked the 'Add Sig.' button that added his thoughts about his sentence in the White House;
"There are a number of things wrong with the city of Washington. One of them is that everyone has been too long away from home." - D. Eisenhower
Yours 'Til Puget Sounds,
KillowattΘ Acme. Whitehouse .gov
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Office of WHCA Operations 1230 EST
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"Well Agent Nichols, it would seen that my evil plot nearly backfired," started Agent Ziegler. "Here I was, content to allow you to spend your sorry career protecting the President's limo, when you had to pretend to be a hero."
"Nothing heroic, sir," replied Agent Nichols. "Just doing the job I swore to do."
"SPARE ME!" Ziegler bellowed. "I'd like nothing more then to personally drum you out of the service, but I have a hole to fill on this detail, and I have orders directly from the Director, himself on just how to fill it.
"As of this moment, Agent Nichols. You are on Crown Watch."
Executive Duty, Kordel thought, as this is the assignment he wanted since before he joined the agency. I'll be protecting the First Family.
"You will be the personal agent assigned to one; Parkman, Cyrus James, Codename: Kilowatt. You will begin your tour starting at 0700 Monday.
"You will accompany Kilowatt to his school," continued Ziegler. "Sidwell Friends School in Upper Northwest."
"What about Agent Woods?" Kordel asked.
"Don't worry about Woods," said Ziegler. "He has suffered enough. Now you get stuck with him."
"Thank you, sir. I won't let him down."
"It isn't him I'm worried about," said Ziegler. "You screw up just one inch, I'LL DROP KICK YOU OUT OF THE SERVICE, MYSELF! DISMISSED!"
As Agent Nichols left Ops, Agent Block joined him.
"Heard you got Crown, Lariat," said Charlie.
"You mean I got 'crowned,'" replied Kordel. "I pulled Kilowatt."
"I was told that Woods got transferred to Glynco," said Charlie. "So you got the First Kid, huh."
"Yes, all this time I was hoping to draw Knight." He replied simply.
"Kordel, look at me. Back when you were a kid, your friends wanted to be doctors, lawyers and even ballplayers and astronauts, right?
"Well I can't see any kid, especially considering were you grew up, who wanted to grow up to be a Presidential javelin catcher, especially at our salaries.
"So, what was it with you, Lariat? Because you were born on November, 22?"
Agent Nichols was born on the anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy.
"Actually, I did not know a thing about Kennedy until I heard about Hinckly."
In March 1981, John Hinckly Jr. shot President Reagen in Washington.
Agent Block was on Executive detail, but was not in DC that day, and sometimes blamed himself for the President getting hit.
"I see," said Charlie. "So, you're what about eight-years old, see this nut-ball take a pot-shot at the President on TV and turn to Rosie and say, 'Auntie Em, I want to take one for the Gipper.'"
"You know, Charlie. You missed your calling," quipped Kordel. "You could have had a future in vaudeville."
"I'm serious, Lariat. I mean what makes a kid want a dangerous job like this? I know it isn't all the charming people we meet. Is it the exercise package?
You know, the running alongside limos, chasing after counterfeiters, jumping on bombs, that sort of stuff?"
"I would guess that is the reason why we get the big bucks, Charlie," said Kordel.
"Shit, when did that start?" replied Charlie. "Come on, Lariat, let's celebrate. I know this bar that serves the best $20 hangover in DC."
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Ready Room, Xavier Mansion, 1345 EST
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After the X-Men completed their Danger Room scenario, Scott asked the question they all had from that morning.
"Are you sure, Professor?"
"Yes, Cyclops," Said Professor Xavier. "Cerebro detected Alpha Class mutant abilities the precise moment that accident happened in Washington."
"It is not that we doubt Cerebro's detection abilities, Professor," said Jean. "But, this is a little hard to grasp, especially with those new anti-mutant bills now before Congress."
"Yes, Jean," said the professor. "It is rather distressing considering the Parkman Administration's non-committal stance on the issue of mutant persecution."
"Do ya suppose dat 'de President, he know?" asked Gambit.
"I would seriously doubt it, actually," continued Xavier. "First of all the President does have a busy schedule which takes him out of Washington quite often.
And the fact that such tight security at the White House would possibly prevent his knowing that his very son ...
"... is a mutant."
End of Chapter two
© David D. Amaya 2007