Interested Parties (7 years prior to X-Men)
Captain Richard Sten was leaving his precinct on the edge of Chicago and heading home. It had been 3 months since the sighting of Matthew and Thomas Macarthur at a high school in Detroit. After that they had vanished without trace. While he was appreciative of the Detroit detective who was sharp enough to discover the boys, the Detroit Police Department was not following the case up to his standards.
Captain Sten sighed as he pulled into his driveway. He got out of his car and entered his empty house. His wife had left him saying that his work was more important than her, and to tell the truth she was right.
But this night the house was not empty.
"Captain Richard Sten," said a man sitting in Sten's favorite chair in the dark.
Sten didn't flinch. He didn't even draw his gun. "What do you want?"
"The boss wants an update."
"There is no new information. Those boys have pulled another vanishing act. We were lucky that a detective in Detroit even recognized them off an old wanted poster. The only good news is that we have updated photos from their school yearbook. They will never return to either Chicago or Detroit, so my hands are tied."
"Sounds like you need a larger jurisdiction."
"What do you mean?"
"The U.S. Marshalls are looking for some new hires. The boss suggests that you apply for the job. There is no telling the opportunities that await you there."
"The Marshalls?" asked Sten in surprise. That would be an improvement. "If the boss could arrange that, then I'm his man."
"I knew we could count on you. Just know this, finding those boys is priority number one for the boss. Will you find them?"
"I will do everything I can once I am a Marshall."
Summer in Miami was hot and humid. Whose idea was this? Asked Matthew to himself as he wiped off his brow. Although spending time on the beach with Lily raised no objections in his mind. And it was a long way from either Chicago or Detroit. A long way from the past.
They were here for a fresh start. It was not easy though. Finding work was hard. Finding an affordable place to live that didn't ask questions was harder. But they were surviving.
Today none of them worked, so the three of them were sitting on the beach. Thomas was making a sand castle up from the water, but Matthew and Lily were sitting on the wet sand, where the waves washed over them.
"Ah, the salt water. Think of all the possibilities if I could adapt more plants that could grow in salt water."
Matthew laughed at Lily. "Not the first thing I thought about, but yeah I suppose."
"What do you think about? The history of this beach?"
"No, I think about how the bright sun reflects off the waves and lands on you." He said as he looked at her. She smiled and then let him kiss her. Then Matthew leaned back in the sand.
Suddenly his warning sense went off, and he sat upright. He looked around, but there was no danger.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just had a strange sensation. I thought I was in danger."
"What kind of danger?" asked Thomas who now joined them. "Was it your danger sense?"
"Yes, but it was strange. The threat was intangible, and it wasn't here."
"I don't get it," said Lily.
"Nor I," said Thomas. "I have the same ability as you. Can't you describe it further?"
"It was like a person."
"A person threatening you?"
"No, watching."
"Matthew, you are making me nervous."
"It must have been nothing." Thomas eyed him suspiciously, but Matthew turned towards Lily and smiled. "It was nothing, and I don't what it to spoil this moment."
He kissed Lily again. Thomas make a noise of disgust and returned to his sand castle. But even as things returned to normal Matthew's mind was still bothered.
Who was that, and what does he want with me?
A man in a strange spherical room took off his helmet and paused in thought. Then he used his right hand to work a small joystick that turned his wheelchair around and rolled towards the door. When the door automatically opened, there was a large blue haired mutant wearing a nice business suit waiting for him.
"Professor," addressed the blue haired mutant. "Forgive me if I indulge my curiosity. For whom are you searching?"
"Not searching, Hank; found. He is a possible recruit, but I don't think I will disturb him at this time. Curious though, his mutant ability had an interesting reaction to Cerebro. I may have to keep this one in mind."
To be continued...
