"Touchdown!" The crowd was chanting repeatedly as they sat in the stands, watching the game. The cheerleaders were doing their routine as they chanted for their team to win.

"Go, Bayville! B! B! A! A! Y! Go, Bayville!"

The Bayville Hawks were staring down their competition as the ball was passed to Duncan Matthews, the most popular student at Bayville High and star quarterback of the football team.

"Blue 22! Blue 22!" He called out as the ball was passed to him. "Hut, hut!" He then made a run for it while the other players covered for him. Duncan managed to throw off one player that got too close as he charged down the field and made a touchdown just as he was tackled in time.

He smiled as a flash went off and looked at his girlfriend, holding a camera in her hands.

"Jean, did you get that for the yearbook?" He asked in amusement.

Jean Grey, a pretty redhead, smirked at him.

"No. This one's for my personal collection." She told him.

As they were taking a break, Duncan and Jean were walking down the field, being observed by a student high in the bleachers. He looked like any other teenager, but he sported ruby shades even though it was night. This was Scott Summers.

"Duncan Matthews does it again, this time with a quarterback keeper." The announcer said as Scott watched the two talk. "The Bayville Hawks seem to have this one wrapped up with time running out."

Sighing at seeing the girl of his dreams talk to her jerkass boyfriend, Scott continued to flip a coin he had in his hand as he looked around, obviously waiting for someone.

Duncan was interrupted while talking to Jean by one of his teammates.

"Hey, look at that!" His teammate pointed to the bleachers, where a sickly-looking scrawny boy pickpocketed another student, stealing their wallet. "Tolansky's at it again."

Another one of the players glared at the amphibian-looking boy. "Oh, man. That's unbelievable."

Duncan, however, smirked, as he now had a perfect excuse (not that he needed one) to beat up a less popular student. He turned to the coach.

"Hey, Coach. Could we be excused for a second?" Duncan politely asked.

The coach looked at the scoreboard and saw that they were in the lead, 49 to 17, so he nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hustle back." He told them.

With a cruel grin, Duncan slipped his helmet on as he and his friends made their way to the bleachers and talked about their excitement at getting to beat up Tolansky.

"This is great, man."

"This is gonna be great."

Unknown to them, Jean was watching the players leave with a curious look on her face.

Meanwhile, Scott was still playing with a coin when he saw another student make his way toward him. The kid was holding a tray with two hotdogs and sodas.

"Yo, Scott, I got snacks!" Danny announced as he sat down next to his best friend.

"Awesome!" Scott grabbed a hot dog with one hand and a drink with the other as the two dug in.

"So has Matthews made a fool out of himself yet?" Danny asked as he gazed at the field. "It's the only reason I came here."

"Danny!" Scott scolded. Sure, he didn't like Duncan either, but he wasn't going to say shit like that. But the sunglass-wearing teenager wasn't surprised. Danny was one of those guys who said whatever was on their mind and didn't care what the world thought.

"I'm just joking, Scott." Danny replied. "Jeez, lighten up, man. Also, don't deny it; you're hoping something humiliating happens to that jerk." Danny gained a teasing look in his eyes. "Probably something that might cause Jean to wisen up and leave him."

Scott blushed at the thought of Jean and him together. "Shut up." Scott then accidentally dropped his coin. "Oh, man. My cash." As he looked down at where it fell, he noticed a hand coming out and grabbing the wallet from someone's back pocket.

He tapped Danny on the shoulder and pointed to the hand as it took the wallet. "Hey, check it. Someone jacked that guy's wallet. Guess they're taking up a collection." Shaking his head, Scott got up. "Come on, let's go check it out."

A groan was Scott's response as Danny half-heatedly got up. "Great, now we're being led on another half-baked adventure." He then gave a look of boredom back at the field. "Though at least it's better than watching the game."

Behind the bleachers, Tolansky was hanging on to the edge as he snatched another unsuspecting person's wallet.

"Got another one." He snickered before he felt someone grab his leg and yank him down to the floor.

"Well, hey. If it ain't Toady Tolansky picking up a little spare change." Duncan said as he and his friends surrounded the smaller teen.

Tolansky crawled back a bit as he looked at Matthews looming over him warily. "Hi, Duncan. Look, I can explain."

"Shut up, Frog Face!" Duncan grabbed him by the throat and pushed him up against a pillar.

"Let's crush him, Dunc!" One of his friends said.

"Let's not Dunc!" Scott said as the four boys turned to see him along with Danny.

"Yeah, I'm sure Jean wouldn't approve of you harassing some poor guy." Danny said as he glared at the football player. Ever since Danny laid eyes on the guy, he didn't like him. Whether it was because he felt like Dash 2.0 or the fact that he was dating one of his friends was anyone's guess. "Though why she's with you is beyond me."

Scott pulled Danny back a bit so a fight wouldn't break out. "Just chill." Scott said to the gang. "The wallets are still there. How about we have him give back the cash? No harm done."

"Scott, they don't care about the wallets." Danny pointed out. "They just want an excuse to hurt something." He said in disgust as he held up his hands, ready to defend someone against a couple of bullies, only to feel Scott's hand on his shoulder.

"Hold it there, tough guy." Scott said to him before returning his attention back to Duncan and his cronies. "Just let him give back the cash."

"Yeah. Yeah." Tolansky agreed as he held up some dollar bills in his hand. "See? Here's the money."

"What do you care about this scuzzo, Summers?" Duncan snarled. "And what about you, Fenton?"

"Not much." Scott admitted. "But I'm not crazy about three against one either."

"And I'm not crazy about Duncan in general." Danny added in a snarky tone, making Scott roll his eyes.

"Easy, Danny. So how about we settle this peacefully?" The young man offered.

Peace didn't seem to be an option, as the next thing Duncan said was, "I think me and my buds are gonna squash this slimeball. So you and your stupid "sunglasses at night" can just bail." He gripped Scott by his shirt only for Danny to push him off.

"Leave him alone!" Danny cried, but Duncan refused to back down as he raised his fists.

"Danny, no!" Scott went to break up the fight, only for the two other boys to grab him by the arms.

"Hey, get off!" He demanded as he pushed them off, grabbing one of them and throwing them onto the other. Duncan threw a punch at Danny, but for some reason it felt like it simply went through the guy.

"What the?" He asked, before being thrown into the mud by Danny.

While all this was going on, Tolansky started to hop away as he left the scene of the crime while Jean walked by and saw the commotion.

"What's going on?" Jean shouted at seeing her friends standing above her downed boyfriend. Before the two could come up with an explanation, Duncan used this to punch Scott into a beam, knocking off his glasses.

"Oh, shit!" Danny cried as he saw a beam of red light come out of Scott's eyes. It made contact with a propane tank, setting off an explosion that had everyone run off in fear.

Soon after that, the police showed up along with the fire department, which was working on containing the fire. As everyone was all calming down, with the paramedics looking over everyone, a shiny black Rolls-Royce pulled up next to the school. It rolled down its back window, showing a bald man looking over the damage.

As this was going on, Jean was walking over the remaining burning wood as she tried to look for Scott's glasses.

"It's all right, Scott." Danny comforted the crouching boy, who was covering his eyes. "No one's hurt. Seriously, that is." He then saw Jean looking down at the burning rubble that was on top of Scott's shades.

"It's too hot to touch, at least with my hands." Jean said before she saw Danny phase his hand through it and grab the glasses.

"But not mine." Danny quipped as he returned the glasses to his friend. "You okay, Scott?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Scott replied as he looked around, only to see Jean smiling at him. "Jean? Oh, wow. I..."

"I know." Jean finished for him. "You didn't mean to cause this." She then raised an eyebrow at Danny. "Although I don't think the same can be said for you, Danny."

"Hey, I was nothing but a mere bystander." Danny defended.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Jean replied, unconvinced, before looking over to see the paramedics checking over Duncan. "Look, you two better split."

"Way ahead of you, Jean." Danny said, happy to get out of here. "Let's go, Scott." He grabbed Scott as the two bailed.

As she bid her two friends goodbye, Jean made her way to her boyfriend, who was having his helmet removed.

"Take it easy, son." One of the paramedics cautioned. "Try not to move."

"What happened here?" A cop asked him.

"My head." Duncan muttered. "Can't remember."

"Concussion." The paramedic deduced as he shined a light in Duncan's eye. "He's been hit hard."

The cop hummed in thought as he looked over at the fire. "It looks to me like..." At this, the man in the Rolls Royce narrowed his eyes, and instantly, the man's thought patterns changed. "Of course." He realized. "Must've been a leak in that propane tank."

"Duncan, are you all right?" Jean asked in concern as she saw her boyfriend loaded up on a stretcher.

"Hey, Jean." Duncan greeted. "Yeah, you know me. Skull like concrete." He knocked on his head before he winced in pain.

"You poor baby." She said in sympathy as she stayed with him as he was rolled into the ambulance.

Far away, Danny and Scott were looking over the damage.

"Look on the bright side." Danny said, trying to be optimistic. "I don't think we'll have to see anymore football games for a while now."

Scott, not in the mood for any more games, stormed off.

"Scott!" Danny called as he watched his friend leave. "Don't be like that!" He was about to go after him when he noticed Tolansky was next to him.

"Thanks." Tolansky mumbled. "Really, you know?"

"Huh?" Danny said in confusion before remembering what happened before the explosion. "Oh, yeah, sure, man." He then went after Scott. "Scott!"

Tolansky watched him go before noticing a fly buzzing near him. In a flash, his tongue extended like a frog and snagged the fly as Tolansky ate it before hopping off.

Back at the Rolls Royce, the bald man, also known as Professor Charles Xavier, nodded to his driver.

"Things are under control for now. But we better hurry. We've got a train to catch."

His driver, a gorgeous African American woman named Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm, nodded as she drove them down to the subway station.

Xavier sat in his wheelchair, with Storm standing next to him, as they waited at the subway station for their new recruit.

A train stopped as the passengers got out, and Storm tried to find which one of them was their new student.

"Kurt?" She asked Xavier, pointing to a blonde boy who stepped off the train.

"That's not Kurt." Xavier said before gesturing over to a young man dressed in a burly coat with a hood over his head and carrying two bags in his hand. "This is."

There was a clearing in the nearby section of the woods where a motorcycle was zooming through. The rider, a burly man, noticed a gas station in his sights and decided to make a quick stop. Pulling in, he entered the establishment, setting off the bell that alerted employees that they had customers.

The store clerk looked up from his book at the biker, who was gazing at the newspaper stand as he looked over what it said.

Explosion at High School

Students Escape Serious Injuries in Freak Accident

"Trouble at home." The biker muttered.

"You want that paper?" The store clerk asked.

"That's why I'm holding it, bub." The biker grabbed a copy. "Bottle of water too. Cold."

Getting the bottle, the employee tried to make small talk.

"Warm weather we're having this time of year."

He was ignored as the biker snatched the bottle and turned around.

The cashier heard some slashing noises before seeing the top of the glass bottle now sitting on the counter. He blinked before the biker set the rest of the empty bottle next to it.

"Recycle that, will you?" He requested before walking out, leaving a very confused store clerk.

Getting on his bike, the man didn't know that in the distance, a much hairier man (or maybe it wasn't a man, but some kind of beast) was watching him as he growled, showing off his sharp teeth.

"Give it up, Jean. It's hopeless." Scott said as he and Danny stood next to the bathroom door, waiting for Jean to finish up so they could go to school.

"I'll be done in a second." Jean announced as she was brushing her hair.

"You said that twenty minutes ago." Danny pointed out. "No offense, Jean, but I don't think Duncan is gonna appreciate the effort you put into your appearance." He noticed Scott's glare. "What? It's true."

The door then opened, revealing Jean in all her splendor.

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Jean told her friends as they walked down the hall and down the stairs.

"We're heading out, professor." Scott told the professor.

"Just a moment, you three." Xavier stopped them. "Come here. I'd like you to meet someone."

The three walked into Xavier's office to see him next to the hooded boy from the subway. "This is Kurt Wagner." Xavier introduced. "He arrived late last night."

"What's up, man?" Danny offered his hand to Kurt.

Kurt instead backed up, intimidated by the number of people here.

"Kurt, you're among friends here." Xavier comforted him.

Hesitantly, Kurt took Danny's hand, revealing that they were covered in blue fur. "Hello." He mumbled.

Danny didn't say anything about the blue fur as he smiled at the newcomer. "Nice to meet you."

"I was just telling Kurt how I set up this institute for gifted youngsters." Xavier said to his three students. "Youngsters whose gifts are not always an asset. Right, Scott?"

'Busted.' Scott thought as he knew he was in deep trouble. "So you heard about last night?"

"Difficult not to." Xavier responded. "It was on all the news channels. A sudden explosion."

"It was a bad situation, and there was an accident." Scott explained, seeing there was no way out of this. "I'm sorry."

"I know." Xavier said calmly, not angry but concerned. "Fortunately, no one was badly hurt and the true cause was not discovered. But you must be more careful, Scott." Xavier warned him.

"Come on, professor!" Scott complained. "I'm packing up a bazooka behind each eyeball! What do you want from me?"

"Control, Scott." Xavier shot back. "That's what you're here to learn. That's why you're all here." He turned his attention back to Kurt. "Scott's eyes emit a destructive optic blast beam."

"In other words, laser eyes." Danny clarified.

"Cool." Kurt replied.

"How about you, Kurt?" Jean asked. "Got a special gift that brought you here?"

In a puff of smoke, Kurt teleported from one part of the room to the other. Kurt grinned mischievously. "Maybe."

"Whoa!" Scott and Jean said, impressed with Kurt's power.

"How come you had to take a train instead of teleporting here?" Danny inquired.

"Three miles is my limit." Kurt explained. "If I had to teleport here, I would have to be doing it constantly at a time, and it would take a lot out of me."

"Hey, at least you'd save on gas." Danny joked, making Kurt laugh.

"Well, I guess there's that."

"I'll be helping Kurt get settled in." Xavier said. "We can talk more tonight."

At Bayville High, Tolansky was waiting in the office when the door to the principal's office opened, and out came Principal Darkholme, a severely strict-looking woman that no one wanted to cross.

"Mr. Tolansky?" She called as the boy walked in, forcing Darkholme to try not to gag at his horrendous stench.

"Excuse me a moment while I open a window." She said as she did just that. "There. Now, Toad, shall we talk about your new friends, Scott Summers and Daniel Fenton?"

"What about them?" Toad asked as he stood perched on the chair like a toad, picking at his ear. "They're cool. Especially Fenton, he seems like a fun guy to hang around with. Heck, if it weren't for them, them jocks would've stomped my skull flat."

"Yes. Well, Summers, as you've noticed, has special powers." Darkholme said as she moved closer to him. "And so does Fenton. There are others like them." She grabbed him by the chin before placing her hands on his shoulders. "We need to know more. Much more."

Toad, however, didn't feel comfortable with possibly getting into any more dangerous situations. "Oh, look. I don't wanna..."

"Silence!" Darkholme roared, her voice now sounding like some kind of monster. Despite every instinct of his body telling him not to, Toad turned around and saw that Darkholme was now some kind of —he didn't know what she was. She stood tall with long fingers and a large jaw full of razor-sharp teeth. Her purple skin only added to the fact that she was something else. And the red eyes stared into his soul, making him fear for his very existence.

"You'll do as you're told!" She ordered. "Understand!" She then lunged at him with her jaw wide open.

"This bedroom is mine?" Kurt asked in awe as he looked at the very spacious room, with the large and comfy bed getting his attention.

"Of course, Kurt." Xavier answered as he smiled at Kurt's reaction, along with Storm. "That's why your parents sent you to us. They knew you would be happy here."

The word "happy" dampened Kurt's mood as he remembered who he was. "Happy? How can I be happy when I look like this? I scare people."

Xavier, however, simply smiled. "I have a surprise for you, Kurt." He pulled out a watch and handed it to the blue-furred young man. "Put this on."

Kurt did that, and before his very eyes, he transformed, looking like a regular, non-furred human. He gasped as he looked at his transformation in the mirror. "I don't believe it! I'm normal!"

"Of course you're normal, Kurt." Storm reassured him. "But not because of that machine."

"Storm is right, Kurt." Xavier agreed. "Normal is what you truly are. Never think otherwise. This is just a disguise. A disguise so that you'll not be persecuted by those who do not understand your gifts."

"I understand, professor. But nonetheless, you rule!" Kurt said, making Xavier smile as he and Storm left the room.

Kurt then noticed the package left on his bed and opened it. He grinned at seeing a red uniform with an X on it.

The bell rang as Scott and Danny went to their lockers.

"Hey, I like Kurt and all, but we gotta make sure that in the morning we take showers before him." Danny told Kurt. "I'm not gonna deal with any fur he leaves behind in there."

"Agreed." Scott said.

"Yo, fellas." Toad greeted as he jumped on top of the lockers. "What's up?"

"That's quite a jump." Scott observed.

"Like it? Surprised you could see it through them smokies of yours." Toad used his tongue to snatch his glasses as Scott covered his eyes. Glaring at Toad, Danny banged on the locker, causing the vibration to knock Toad to the floor as Danny took the glasses back. "Ow! What the heck, man?"

"Here you go, Scott." Danny handed Scott back his shades before turning to Toad. "So what's your point, Tolansky?"

"Well, as you can see, the three of us, we got something in common." Toad said.

Danny raised an eyebrow as he thought of one thing that they had in common. "We all hate Duncan Matthews."

Toad shook his head. "No. Well, yeah, but we ain't like other people."

"And your point is?" Scott asked.

"I just want to talk." Toad answered. "You know, get to know each other better. You know, maybe do lunch." He snatched Scott's lunch with his tongue and devoured it.

"We'll think about it." Scott said as he and Danny left.

"Sure, you think about it." Toad muttered. "I got other stuff to do." He then hopped out of a nearby window.

"Okay, I thought about it." Danny said to Scott. "We can talk to Xavier about bringing him in, but he showers after us. I don't want to imagine the slime he'll leave behind in there."

"You say that like he showers at all." Scott brought up.

Danny considered that. "Good point. I guess then we'll tell Xavier about him. But there is no way in hell that I'm rooming with him."

Scott nodded. "Ditto."

Xavier was in his study reading when an alarm went off. Xavier moved to the wall, which opened up, revealing another room with a large computer console at the center. Pressing a button on the keyboard, Xavier saw a small red dot over Bayville High. "So, out in the open." He murmured before his phone rang. He pressed a button on his chair. "Hello, Scott."

Back at Bayville High, Scott was spooked at Xavier immediately knowing it was him as he spoke to the man over a payphone with Danny next to him. "Man, professor. You know it always weirds me out when you do that."

"Sorry." Xavier apologized as he pressed another button, revealing a small metallic helmet. "What are you calling about?"

"One of the students here, he's kinda like us." Scott explained.

"Yes, Todd Tolansky."

"You know him?" Scott asked.

"Tell him, I'm not rooming with him." Danny chimed in.

"Shut up." Scott said.

Xavier placed the helmet on. "Cerebro just got a reading. He must be using his powers openly now."

"Anyway, he's not the kind of guy I'd want to share a room with." Scott described. "I mean, to put it bluntly, he's got the dead hygiene of a dead pig."

"Toad would be more accurate." Danny pointed out.

"Quiet." Scott scolded.

"We cannot turn our backs on anyone, Scott." Xavier reminded him. "You know that."

"Yeah, I know." Scott responded. "So should I bring him in?"

"No need, Scott. Speak with you later." Xavier then ended the call as Kurt came into the room, interested in the computer.

"What's that thing, professor?" Kurt asked.

"This thing is Cerebro." Xavier answered. "It detects the manifestation of special powers. That's how I found you."

Kurt looked at the screen, which showed Toad. "How do you have footage of this guy?"

"Cerebro gives off a picture based on my mental thoughts as I sense his presence."

"Cool. So this guy is one of us?

"That remains to be seen." He then sent off a telepath signal to Storm. "Storm?"

"Yes, professor?" Storm answered as she used her power over the weather to form a small cloud to rain over plants.

"I wonder if you could audition someone for me." Xavier requested.

It was night as Toad, decked out in a cheap green jumpsuit, arrived at the gates of the institute. "Cake." He said, thinking it would be that easy to infiltrate it. He leaped over the gate as he started to hop over to the school.

The wind blew as Storm walked out onto the podium, wearing a black jumpsuit with the X symbol on it. She flew into the air as Toad looked up and saw her pass by over him, and a storm cloud formed. "Now that is just freaky." He said as it rained.

A sudden strike of lightning near him sent him running off as he tried to escape Storm, who threw lightning at him. Luckily, he managed to dodge it, his agility proving to be useful.

The storm raged on as Kurt, wearing his uniform, walked down the stairs, only for the wind to blow open the doors, pushing Toad in as he crashed into the other mutant.

The two separated as they stared each other down.

"Whoa, what are you?" Toad asked. "Some kind of ratty plush toy?"

Kurt felt disgust as Toad's scent assaulted his nostrils. "The name's Nightcrawler, and at least I don't reek like unwashed lederhosen."

"You blue-furred freak!" Toad charged at Nightcrawler, only for the blue mutant to teleport out of the way.

Confused, Toad looked around before hearing Kurt's voice above him.

Hanging on the chandelier, Nightcrawler smirked at his opponent. "As you say in America, neener, neener, neener!"

"That ain't gonna help you, boy." Toad jumped at him, but Kurt was quicker and jumped to a nearby wall.

"You're so slow!" Kurt quipped. "You couldn't catch flies on a windshield."

Growling, Toad continued to chase Nightcrawler as the top hopped off the walls of the institute.

"Fight like a man!" Toad yelled as he gave chase.

Storm floated in as she saw Xavier roll in.

"Yes. Tolansky is indeed gifted." Xavier said. "He could be one of us."

Storm smiled. "Sometimes, professor, I feel your good heart blinds even you from the truth."

The two then heard Kurt and Toad continue to bicker as they ended up knocking over some of the professor's possessions.

"Over here. Over here." Kurt taunted.

"I'm gonna rip your pointy tail off, you fuzzy gecko." Toad threatened. "You little Wookiee boy, come here."

Their chase continued until they were back in the entryway.

"Oh, come back." Toad muttered as he continued to try and catch Kurt. "Don't make me come over there. Don't make me. Now you're starting to tick me off." Toad let out his tongue, but Kurt ducked, causing it to break through the window behind him.

"The test is over." Xavier announced as he came into the room with Storm. "Todd Tolansky does have the special gift of the X-gene. He's welcome to join us if he so desires."

"Only thing I desire is blue boy's fuzzy head." Toad tackled Nightcrawler as the two fell off the chandelier and would've crashed to the floor if Kurt hadn't teleported them out of the way.

The two crashed in a dark room.

Kurt noticed a red light that glowed in the center. "Where are we?"

"You're asking me, fool?" Toad snarked as he dusted himself off. "You brought us here."

"I think I'm about to regret it!" Kurt panicked as he saw a wall open up, and turrets appeared.

Danny, Scott, and Jean were all gearing up for a simulation in the Danger Room when they heard the professor's voice in their heads.

"Scott! Jean! Danny!" Xavier cried. "Nightcrawler and Toad have teleported into the Danger Room!"

"They're gonna be blown to bits!" Danny realized.

"Get in there now!" Xavier ordered.

A white ring went over Danny as he transformed into his ghost form and flew off to help the two.

Back in the Danger Room, a turret fired a green blast at the two mutants, who jumped out of the way.

Kurt kept moving out of the way as several turrets opened fire while tentacles appeared to either grab him or cut him into two pieces. Toad was doing the same thing as he was screaming his head off in fear.

Luckily, Danny phased through the door and grabbed hold of both mutants, turning them intangible.

"Whoa!" Kurt was amazed as all the energy blasts and tentacles went right through them. "What kind of powers do you have?"

"More than you can imagine." Danny stated.

"Hey, let me go!" Toad tried to get out of Danny's grip, but the ghostly mutant wouldn't let go.

"Not unless you want to die." Danny told him. He then sent out a thought to Xavier. "Alright, professor, they're safe."

Xavier arrived on the observatory deck and made his way to the computer.

"Security code override: Priority X. Vocal print: Charles Xavier."

"Confirmed. Shut down in five seconds." The computer said.

"Now I get it. It's a training area." Kurt teleported out of Danny's grip and onto a turret. "Watch." He pulled the plug connected to the machine. "I just pull the plug and..." The machine threw him off.

"Fail spectacularly." Danny said flatly as the Danger Room shut off.

"Forget this, man." Toad said in fear as Danny set him down. "I've seen enough. I am out of here."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't believe the things I've seen."

Toad hopped past Jean and Scott, who entered the room. "Tolansky!" Scott shouted before turning back to where Xavier was. "Sorry, professor. I couldn't stop him."

"It's all right, Cyclops." Xavier assured him. "He wasn't ready to be one of us."

"I blew it too, professor." Kurt said guiltily. "I'm sorry. You've been wonderful. But I guess I just don't belong here." He teleported away.

"Nightcrawler, wait!" Xavier called out, but it was too late.

"Don't worry, I got him." Danny said as he went off to search for Kurt.

Back with Toad, he managed to get out of the mansion and into the yard, where he met with the same burly man from before who summoned metal claws from his hands, intimidating Toad.

"Going somewhere, bub?" The man asked.

"No, Logan." Xavier said, appearing on the podium. "Let him go."

Logan stared at the frightened Toad for a moment before moving aside and gesturing for him to leave.

"That's crazy stuff there." Toad mumbled to himself as he left.

"I came back here because I smelled trouble brewing." Logan said to Xavier. "Of course, maybe it was just stink boy there."

"I wish it was." Xavier replied before smiling at Logan. "Welcome home, old friend. We've missed you."

Logan returned the smile.

Kurt landed in an unfamiliar room. Pulling himself off the hard metal floor, he looked up and gasped in awe. In front of him was a high-tech plane. As he was admiring it, he heard Danny's voice behind it.

"You like it? We call it the Blackbird. Now it ain't no space shuttle, but I'll admit it's a work of beauty." He said as he also gave a look of amazement to the plane.

"Is it yours?" Kurt asked. "Please tell me you get to fly it."

"Yep." Danny said confidently. "You stay here with us, and I'll show you how to fly this bad boy. Deal?"

"Me?" Kurt was nonplussed that Danny and the others still wanted him here after the trouble he just caused. "I made a mess of things and trashed the professor's mansion." He said in a depressed voice.

Danny waved that off. "I'm sure his credit card can deal with that. Besides, you're not the first one to screw up here. I mean, Scott caused that explosion back at our high school." Danny brought up, conveniently leaving out the part where he was responsible for the incident as well. "So you gonna stay?"

"You don't mind the way that I look?" Kurt said in disbelief, shocked that Danny didn't seem to be afraid of him.

"I've seen scarier things, Kurt; believe me." Danny told him. "And that also includes things with even more fur than you."

"Really?" Kurt said, intrigued. "Where?"

"I'll tell you someday." Danny started to lead Kurt out of the hanger. "But right now, let me show you where they hide the sodas."

"I can't believe this!" Darkholme shouted at Toad as they were in her office. "You were actually inside, and you ran away?"

"Hey, I freaked. So sue me." Toad confessed. "I did what I could."

"And no doubt the good professor wiped your mind so you can't remember anything!" Darkholme added as her anger continued to build up.

Toad merely shook his head dumbly, which further pissed off the shapeshifter even more.

With a snarl, Darkholme opened the door and pointed outside. "Get out!"

Toad hopped out frantically, not wanting to deal with her wrath. Once he was out, Darkholme slammed the door, and her very form began to change. Gone was the business suit and instead was a white jumpsuit with skulls on her belt. Her hair was bright red, but the most distinguishing trait she had was her skin. It was blue.

As she picked up the chair that Toad knocked down, she heard a rumbling and looked to see her superior in the corner of the room. He wore a red helmet along with a red cape that was draped over him like a cloak. Due to the lighting, Mystique couldn't see his face, making him look like some inhuman force of nature.

"Do not be so hard on the boy, Mystique." He chided her. "We don't want to thin our ranks, now, do we?"

"No, sir." Mystique said timidly, not wanting to anger him. "I'll be more careful."

Before her, the paper clips and some of her office equipment floated in the air by his power.

"Mind you are." He replied. "Remember, this is only the beginning."