It was a sweltering 80 degrees outside the day that Cassidy decided to go shopping. The sizeable pantry stores inside of the house had gotten to such a low point that Sean had been forced to eat either oatmeal or cereal for breakfast for the past week and a half, instead of their ordinary extravagant-and way too healthy-meals which Michael had learned to cook up.
Sean was glad to have the doctor around, mainly because he made a mean pancake. He had replaced Emma and Azazel as the cook in the house, and he always managed to brighten the day with some medical trivia and Haiku riddle which he posed to generally everyone about five times a day. He seemed happy to be there too, despite being the only human. He reveled in their triumphs and kept track of their progress by way of powers and academics. He had offered to go out shopping for them, but after weeks of being confined to the mansion, almost everyone was eager to get outside.
The only reason that they hadn't before was because every time Charles called, he parted with a last 'be safe," which sometimes sounded more like a plea than advice. Sean suspected those were the times when he was in a hostile city. Since the entire world knew about Charles, they could easily know about the mansion too, and if his enemies found out about the rest of them… Sean couldn't bear the thought of men taking the children away for leverage or worse. Sometimes, it just seemed safer to stay inside the house. It was certainly large enough for them to play hide and seek in a hundred times and still never go through all the rooms.
However, after awhile, hide and seek became redundant and the lure of fresh air-and civilization, people who they didn't see every day-was too much. So, eyes trained on high alert and bodies tense, Cassidy had disguised the children as best she could, and they had driven down to the city or shopping. The simple trip had suddenly turned into an adventure as Angel spotted a mall (which, she had not been to one in years) and dragged them into every clothing store imaginable.
The girls had been ecstatic, all except for Ororo, who saw little value in material possessions. The boys hadn't minded because also within the mall was a paintball studio (which Alex had paid for) and they had spent a good three hours shooting each other with paint pellets while the girls picked out summer dresses for the Fourth. Then, when everyone was satisfied, they had stopped by the large food court and grabbed lunch before deciding to picnic at the park.
It wasn't until sunset that they all returned home in high spirits, only for Michael to smile from the kitchen when they walked in and point downstairs as loads of groceries were dropped in the doorway. "Have fun?" he asked Kitty, who was grinning from ear to ear.
She nodded enthusiastically "We had ice cream!"Cried the sugar-livened five year old. Sean had a bad feeling about trying to put her to bed that night but it was dimmed when Michael laughed and shut the door.
"Well, I think you'll find a greater treat downstairs," he told them.
Sean perked up, instantly knowing what that meant. "The professor called?" Warren asked, also perking up.
Michael nodded and surveyed the piles of groceries and clothes, enough for another three months. "He's waiting for…" The rest of Michael's statement trailed off as the mutants rushed past him down the stairs to the basement, which consequently had been turned into the place where Cerebro was stored, and Hank's laboratory.
It had been weeks since Charles, Hank and Moira had contacted them through Cerebro. Mainly because Charles had discovered that he could link them across thousands of miles through the machine only last month.
Ushering the younger ones down the hallway towards the "sacred machine" as Scott dubbed it, Sean exchanged a glance with Alex. He couldn't even believe they were this excited. True, they had not seen heads nor tails of Charles, Hank or Moira in nearly two months, but still… One would think family was calling. Which was true too, but still.
Alex walked up to the door and stood in front of the steel contraption. Scott nudged Warren and Bobby, giggling at the serious look on his brother's face as the scanners crossed Alex's eyes. "Summers, Alex," the computer identified. "Accepted," the door slid open with a hiss and ahead of them, his head floating as if on a television screen, was a smiling Charles Xavier.
"His hair gets longer every time we see him," Cassidy whispered to him with a giggle. Sean nodded. Charles hair was indeed getting longer, curling past his ears towards his shoulders. The children rushed inside, squeezing themselves unto the thin platform. Kitty hopped into Charles's chair. Cerebro itself towered above her menacingly.
"Fessor!" Kitty cried, exultingly. Hank passed behind Charles, muttering something irritably. It looked like they were in a hotel room.
"Hello everyone," Charles said, his voice booming in the circular room. "It is good to see you all looking so well," though it was a standard greeting, Charles meant it always.
"Fessor, you've been away a long time!" Kitty accused him huffily. Charles inclined his head.
"Forgive me Kitty. This is our last stop before we come home for Fourth of July," he told her, assuring. Kitty nodded, mollified.
"Are you bringing fireworks?" Bobby asked, excitedly.
"Moira has commandeered us a generous amount, yes," Charles laughed. I love Moira, Sean thought happily as the door opened and Michael walked into the room. Charles flashed him a welcoming grin.
"Where are you now, professor?" Rogue asked.
"That's a good question," Charles said, frowning. There were bags of sleeplessness beneath his eyes. "Moira, where in the blazes are we?"He asked over his shoulder.
Moira appeared over his shoulder, also looking very tired. When she noticed Michael, though, she brightened. "Hi Moira!" the collective group called, waving. She waved back.
"Hello everyone! We're in California right now," she said.
"And it is hot!" Hank added from somewhere off screen.
"It's hot here too," Jean told them. "Eighty degrees," Charles looked envious.
"It is a hundred degrees here," he lamented.
"Are the people nice?" Jean wondered curiously. Charles and Moira exchanged a glance.
"Nicer than they've been in other places," Charles replied vaguely before continuing on a much more cheerful note. "But enough about me, how have you all been? Academics first," he instructed. Sean smiled. Even though Charles was across the country; there was no doubt about who the leader was around here. The children brightened.
"I learned about the solar system!" Kitty burst out.
"Oh, really?" Moira asked. "How many planets are there in our solar system?" She asked.
Kitty tapped her chin thoughtfully before answering "twelve!" To which Moira nodded.
"I started reading Shakespeare, professor," Ororo told him shyly. Sean glanced up, remembering another little boy who had enjoyed Shakespeare, and a father who had thought him a devil a few weeks later. If the name brought a spark of pain, Charles was good at hiding it.
"Splendid! Macbeth?" he inquired. Ororo nodded.
"I learned about how fire is made!" Warren volunteered. Now Hank's voice floated to them again.
"Using?"
"Instant combustion!"
"I've been practicing my math skills," Rogue piped in proudly. "Me and Bobby do science experiments and then test out which mathematical equation fits with it," she told him. Charles looked positively ecstatic. Moira cocked an eyebrow.
"Well, it is good to know I'm in the presence of greatness," she muttered. Charles nodded enthusiastically.
"I studied plant cells under the microscopes and saw the difference between animal and plant cells," Jean added.
"And I wrote an essay on the Declaration of Independence," Scott topped it off with.
"Appropriate," Charles agreed. "I see you have glorious teachers," his affectionate gaze swept over them.
"Have you heard anything from Erik?" Alex asked. Charles shook his head.
"No. I wouldn't worry yet though. They're probably just busy," it would not stop Charles from not worrying, but that was beyond the point.
"What's Hank doing?" Bobby asked.
"He," Charles turned a bit to scowl at Hank before sighing. "Is preparing for his lecture on how mutants come to be. The changes that have to occur in their DNA, why people get different powers, how it will evolve… The science of it, really. Then I will give my idealistic speech on equality," Charles gave Hank a dry look. "I'm not sure how it is I studied biogenetic mutation in college and yet you're the one giving lectures on it, Hank," he called.
"Luck, Charles!" came Hank's distant reply. "Has anyone seen my notes?" Moira snickered and walked over to Hank.
"I'm afraid I can't keep this up much longer," Charles told them apologetically. "Rest assured; we'll be home by the end of this week for the Fourth, with fireworks. In the meantime, you children behave yourselves," he cast Sean a look along with the younger ones. Sean rolled his eyes. Very funny, prof.
Cassidy caught the implied message. "Scott, Jean, take the others into the kitchen and begin separating those groceries please," she told them firmly. "Four piles: one for freezer, one for the refrigerator, one for the pantry and then clothes. Off you go then," aware of when they were being dismissed, the children waved goodbye, promised to behave and continue their studies and vacated their places.
Angel, Sean, Alex and Michael stayed where they were. They could tell that Charles had one last thing to bestow. The telepath waited until the door had closed behind the children before beginning. "I'm very proud of you all," he told them, softly. "You've done well with the students," his voice was tinged with longing, and Sean wondered just what Charles had been through these past two months.
"Only copying what you did for us Charles," Alex quipped.
"Professor, what you're doing-it seems to be working," Cassidy said, looking to them for support. Sean, Alex and Michael nodded.
"We saw you on the news. Erik and the others too. You've started a movement! They were even talking about it in town today," Sean cried, an unfamiliar feeling of rich pride growing in his chest as he remembered when Ororo had first caught sight of Charles on television and her shout of surprise.
Moira came back to stand behind Charles, now joined by Hank. "Ah, yes. That," Hank groaned, exchanging a glance with Charles. "Maybe we shouldn't have told them to be mutant and proud Charles," he thought.
"That was your doing, my friend," Charles replied teasingly. "And being on the news is good-better because Erik and the others were shown as well-but it's leading to some unwanted attentions, too," he told them seriously.
"What do you mean?" Michael asked worriedly.
Moira piped in. "The CIA called. They wished to inform us that Charles is a nuisance and threat to public serenity, and the only reason he doesn't have a bullet in the brain is because he's become a public figure, but that's liable to change at any time," a shocked silence. Sean's blood ran cold.
"Which is partly why we can't use telephones to call. We're being watched," Hank told them.
"No one's tried anything yet, right? You guys are okay so far?" Sean inquired; his heart hammering. Hank and Charles exchanged a glance.
"There hasn't been… A lot of violence," Hank replied, succinctly. "But the occasional rock, brick or food thrown at us. Death threats, parades of human superiority outside of the hotel we've been in. I'm ready to come home, alright," he stated. Sean nodded. He would have been ready to come home after the first brick was thrown. Not for the first time, he realized why Charles had brought Hank with him. Where he was, it was no vacation. It was no game.
"All of this means, though, that you all are in ever the more danger of being discovered by government officials-or worse," Charles picked up again with graveness. "I know I've said this before but…"
"Be careful?" Angel, Alex, Sean and Michael asked in unison.
He smiled tremulously. "Be safe," he agreed.
Over three thousand people came to see her brother speak. Noticeably, most of the crowd were either mutant or mutant-loving humans, and almost everyone was dressed like a stereotypical surfer. She guessed that this state was one where Charles's message was well-liked, because some with signs held over their head proclaiming 'mutant and proud,' others who lurked in the corners and at the back, sneering at the mutants they saw and carrying clubs at their hips. There was murder in their eyes, and Raven kept a close eye out for a gun.
The large stage ahead where Charles would be speaking was a perfect place to stage an assassination. Raven-in the form of the blonde-haired girl who Charles had grown up with- wove her way through the milling crowd, and took a seat somewhere in the middle. A second later, Riptide, wearing jeans and a baseball cap, sat down next to her. They exchanged glances and a nod, but nothing else. They didn't want anyone recognizing them. They were the now famous X-men after all. It was probable that someone might.
All clear? That was Emma speaking through their telepathic link.
We're good, Raven agreed.
This beer they're sellin is disgusting, Logan reported.
Magneto and I are okay too. Charles is about to speak, they were separated across the large auditorium. They had arrived too late to see Hank's lecture n mutation, but Raven was sure he would be happy to repeat it later.
"Ladies and gentlemen; please take your seats!" a voice boomed on the intercom overhead. The crowds of people talking and laughing promptly dived into their seats, wide eyes trained on the stage. Riptide whistled beneath his breath.
"Well, I guess they want to hear him speak," he observed. Raven nodded. She remembered the times he would be asked to speak at the University. People had jumped into their seats in almost the same way, as if by hearing Charles's voice they were being told the secrets of the world.
If only he knew them.
Gradually, the whisperings of the crowd quieted as the lights overhead flickered and a spotlight was shown on the stage. A second later, Charles wheeled into view. Raven studied her brother's face. He appeared weary, but also… Changed. Not in the physical sense but there was something about him that seemed less like bold arrogance and more like actual bravery. It was very… Heroic.
The crowd burst into applause except for those in the back, who called out a steady stream of: "boo! Boo!"Charles seemed flattered. He smiled at the crowd, waiting for the clapping to die down. When it did, he took a deep breath. "Hello California," he greeted the general population. The rest of his statement was promptly drowned out by two women screaming:
"WE LOVE YOU PROFESSOR!"
What the hell? Erik demanded over the link. Who is he, the King of England?
Raven snickered. Charles's face went red. "Yes," he supposed awkwardly. "Well, it appears as if I don't have to introduce myself," the crowd broke into amused titters. "Though, my real name is Charles Xavier. I don't actually possess a teaching degree, so I'm a bit unsure why people keep calling me professor, but I do have to admit, I like the name," Raven rolled her eyes as the titters turned into laughter. Charles grinned, seeming to relax a bit more.
"When I was nine years old," Charles then went on, on a more serious note. "I started hearing voices in my mind. It wasn't until I was twelve that I discovered that it wasn't insanity which was causing it but a unique gift. I am a telepath, a mutant, and it has taken me many years but finally, I think we have all discovered," he grinned. "That I am not the only one like this in the world," whoops and whistles of agreement rang out from the mutants.
"For a very long time, I hid the truth of what I was from everyone. Out of fear, mainly. I was afraid that society would consider me a freak-and an expendable one, at that- and I would risk losing everything. My life, included. This is a valid fear which most mutants share. Yet a few months ago, I called the rest of my species from hiding," Charles's smile of triumph was brilliant. "And they answered."
The crowd roared. "Mutant and proud!" Raven had to admit she felt a stirring of pride deep in her chest upon hearing it.
"To the several million who suppose that I am an egomaniac who is controlling the minds of young people to stir trouble, I promise, I'm not that impressive. I didn't start the Mutant Equality Movement. In fact, I never imagined there would be a movement when I spoke for the first time a few months ago," he admitted.
Raven cocked a brow. Of course he hadn't, because Charles never thought of things like that. He never considered what he might do.
"The mutants who are tired of hiding behind lies and masks, they started this movement. The families of those mutants, who no longer want to fear that one night their sisters and brothers and sons and daughters will be snatched away and used as lab rats, they deserve the credit. The hundreds of humans who understand that equality and freedom are not things we can hoard to ourselves as if we are stacking nuts for the winter, they started this movement!"
Another sweeping applause.
"So I may not have begun this Movement, but with every bone in my body I support it. I only ask that it remain peaceful, that it remains kind, that we remain unified. Mutants are not trying to take over the world, not trying to split our species in two. We are all of us from the same gene, the human gene. Humanity as we recognize it was once single-celled organisms until they mutated. We are all of mutants in our way," we aren't human, Charles. And they aren't one of us.
"Even if some of us have green skin, black eyes, read minds, turn things to ice, or whatever else is out there. We are in the same sea; this Earth is still an Earth that we will be forced to share. The sun is going to rise and warm all of us whether we're mutant or human!" He inhaled deeply, breathing. In a calmer voice, continued.
"Nevertheless, I have been asked what exactly the Mutant Equality Movement wants. Again, since I didn't start it, I wonder why people keep asking me. But I will give you my definition of a right answer: We want to avoid a future of hatred. I don't want mutants to become second class citizens. I don't want mutants to turn on their human brethren in fear and anger and turn them into second class citizens. I don't want to be dragged into a lab and experimented on. I don't want to hide, I don't want to fear. I don't want people to fear me. I want my friends and family to be treated according to who they are, not what they can do. Isn't that what we all want? To be equal?"
Actually, I want a better beer, Chuck.
Shut up Logan.
"But these are social qualms. And socially, they will be solved one step at a time. Politically, I want a law that says it is as illegal to experiment on a mutant as it is on a child. I want a law that says that mutants get every right that is given to anyone else in this country. It's almost Independence Day, yes? I want independence from the tyrant that has ruled for my entire life; fear!" The shouting that accompanied this applause was thunderous. Raven felt a smile picking at the sides of her mouth even if it wasn't the first time she had ever heard Charles speak, and hesitantly, she clapped along with the rest of the crowd.
Even if right now she didn't trust Charles's words any more than she trusted him, they were still enough to enflame her soul with a passion for the fight she had chosen. The mutant fight. Not bad, Charlie. Joseph would be pleased.
"However these goals are large, and idealistic. They require more than mere words. They deserve action. There are those who have already set themselves upon a road of justice and peace," was that her imagination or did Charles smile right at them?
"They have dedicated their powers to the good of all, and that is the road which I urge you to follow. Take to your streets, to your communities and schools and hospitals, all of you!" he roared, and she felt the breath surge out of her lungs in shock at the pure authority in Charles's voice. He was not asking an audience, he was commanding an army.
"And do something great with the gifts you've been given! Show our governments and ourselves that we are capable of working together in peace. Show them the true spirit of this society is not one of malice or hatred but one of enlightenment and tolerance. This is my hope for you, and this is my belief: we-humans, mutants, dark skin, light skin, everyone on the face of this planet-can overcome the binds of difference and find another way!"
"Wow!" Riptide gasped in unison to Raven when the entire assembly surged to their feet, nearly jumping up and down in their excitement and clapped with all the vigor they possessed. The thundering of hands was breathtakingly ear-shattering, as if Banshee's screams had been magnified times ten. Raven lost sight of Charles in the screaming crowd. However she knew with all the intuition of a sister; that he was staring right at her. She stood. Riptide had already vanished in search of Erik and the others. She stood there, alone.
And with a smile, Raven faced the general direction of where the stage had been and slowly, staring straight ahead into the eyes of her brother, she began clapping.