First a special shout out to Cheshire and LoveKita for the reviews. Cheshire I won't get too deep into how Creed plays into all this but you could definitely say it was personal with how Kara reacted to seeing him. LoveKita, so Logan's read is that Kara is just too young to be the assassin that Widow remembers. It's definitely something that's bothering him and makes some kind of sense of why so many are interested in the pantheress but I'd trust Logan on that point. As for what happened with Kara at the end there she went full feral ... I promise that gets more fully explained in this chapter and Logan again will have some good insights so I'll just let him explain it.
The room was silent for the first few minutes as the assembled mutants reflected on what they had seen in the video. There was a number of shared glances and raised eyebrows.
Naturally it was Storm who broke the silence.
"What happened?" a distant hum of thunder not missed by the group, but the white haired mutant held her stern gaze as she turned to look at Scott. The tone she addressed him with had the teen taking a deep breath.
"It was supposed to be a standard evaluation. I - none of that was supposed to happen. Bolt lifted the safeguards and -"
"Standard evaluation?" Storm cut in, "Where was Logan? Where was I? You do not have the clearance or the experience to oversee an evaluation."
There was a crackle in the air and Scott shot a brief look at Xavier, clearly seeking some sort of reassurance but thus far, the professor remained silent, his eyes on the video still replaying in front of him.
There was a bit of quiet, the hard headed teen lowering his head for a moment as he clearly searched for some misplaced confidence. He found it.
"You and Beast were on a mission. Wolverine's been gone for over a week. Kara was overdue for her evaluation and I stepped up." Scott pushed back. "And I know things got out of control, that's on me, I don't deny that but - you saw that same thing I did. She's years ahead of the other students." The excitement was clear in Scott's voice now. "With the right training she could be a huge asset to the team."
"Out of control," Now it was Dr. McCoy who spoke as he carefully removed his glasses, his usual jovial demeanor gone, "is a gross understatement. Do you have any idea the danger you placed Kara in? Not to mention every other student in this school ... yourself included?" and the doctor's tone made Scott reconsider his words all of a sudden.
"Danger? Hank come on she - I know she got knocked around and like I said, that's my fault, I apologize for that. But she can clearly handle herself. If anything this just showed she should be training more-"
But Beast held up a hand as he fast forwarded to the end of the video.
"You pushed a feral, Scott. A young feral who is still developing her powers and sense of control. I have no doubt that had you or any other student - any of us for that matter - been in the Danger Room at that moment she would have done something that she would have regretted for the rest of her life. Tell me Scott, if that had happened, what would you have done, knowing that this was YOUR fault."
Scott opened his mouth to respond but Jean placed a hand over his.
"Hank is right Scott. Her mind it - she wasn't herself. No that's not right," Jean shook her head at the memory. At the anger. The fear. The rage. She had never felt anything quite like it… it was terrifying. The complete lack of control.
"She was in full fight or flight ... pure instinct. She could have killed someone. You should consider yourself lucky she didn't." Dr. McCoy finished his gaze still pinned on the young Cyclops who's visor suddenly gleamed red.
"You're making this more than it was Hank. We were all safe. I followed protocol." and Jean quickly tried to again place a calming hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, before he said anything that would get him into deeper trouble but-
"Not to mention we've seen Logan flip before. He's never attacked any of us." Scott seeded. "If Logan -"
"I'd be careful using Logan as a shield if I were you," Ororo's tone low, "because I doubt you'll be the one he's looking to protect when he gets back." and that finally got Scott to go quiet while the rest of the room stewed a bit more.
"Can - can I ask a question?" Amara was the youngest member of the team, a year younger than Scott and Jean and the newest. It wasn't long ago that she'd been outside these kinds of meetings and the teen was still trying to find her place. Not knowing what exactly she should have been saying or doing for that matter … BUT SHE HAD TO SAY SOMETHING. This had been bugging her for the past few hours since the meeting started.
"Where's Kara now?" and Amara looked around the room, assuming someone had an answer.
"I had her briefly in the infirmary," Beast sighed, "but she seemed distant. Exhausted. Not sure I got more than a few words out of her and once I was certain she hadn't suffered any major injuries she simply left."
"So ... no one knows where she is?" Amara's tone was clearly surprised.
"Kara is in the Mansion and we should count ourselves lucky for that." Xavier responded, his eyes still locked on the again replaying video. The rest of the room once again shared a collective look, clearly waiting for the professor to continue.
"For now, the best thing we can do is to give her space and support. Don't push her ... but let her know that she is still safe here." Xavier finished though his tone was still distracted.
"Safe - Professor I - let me talk to Kara." Scott urged, "I never meant for anything bad to happen."
"You," Xavier finally looked up from his screen and Scott almost winced from the disappointment in Xavier's eyes, "will leave Kara alone. What she needs now is to feel safe. And her friends."
"You think she's OK?" Bolin asked his brother as he shot another look up the stairs.
"Trust me she'll be fine," Illyana whispered, "the real question is if we'll be OK."
"What does that even mean?" Rogue shot back, her tone challenging as she squared up against the thin blonde.
"You tell us. From what we heard Kara went crazy down in the Danger Room and almost killed everyone." Illyana rushed out, a number of shared looks around the group showing they'd heard some version of the same thing.
"That's NOT what happened," Kitty glared at Illyana, "Kara didn't attack anyone. She just... did her evaluation..." but literally everyone could hear how the brunette's tone wavered at the end.
"Oh yea then why don't you go check on her then?" Illyana responded slyly, getting Kitty to open and close her mouth a few times before shooting a pleading look at Rogue who pointedly was looking elsewhere.
"I heard from Gambit that she vas incredible. She beat every student score and only stopped because Scott got upset she beat him." Kurt offered, but Rogue shook her head.
"First of all, just call him Remy, Gambit is such a dumb name. Second of all, that's not why Scott cut it short. Besides you shoulda' seen the way Ororo looked at him before she left." Rogue corrected shivering a little at the memory. No way in hell would she ever want to get on the storm goddess's bad side.
"Anyone think this is kinda Scott's fault?" Jubilee suddenly piped up. "I mean ... he was the one who kinda forced her to do it."
"That's silly Jubes. Scott's team leader." Warren butted in, clearly offended on the latter's behalf. It wasn't a secret that Warren dreamed of being on the X-Men and in turn idolized Cyclops.
"I just hope they don't have her train with any of us. I mean I had my concerns since the whole thing with Mak-" but he stopped when the fire bender in question suddenly conjured a ball of flame.
"Shut it Warren." he warned while Kitty and Rogue stuck their tongues out in agreement.
There was some awkward silence, the whole group suddenly not knowing what to say.
"I mean ... where did she even learn to ... well do whatever she did?" Bolin finally wondered out loud. Igniting another round of hushed whispers.
"Well Kara did say she came from a hole…"
"Wait like a hole, hole?"
"Yea thats what I said!"
"That's dumb…"
"YOU'RE DUMB!" and the whole group went at it again before Illyana scoffed.
"OK lets be honest...What do we even really know about her? She could be a spy or something." the blonde hissed out, but Mako just shook his head and shot her a look.
"I don't think-"
"You idiots do realize that Kara can probably hear all of you ... right?" The group took a collective step back as Raven appeared walking down the hall.
"What? N - no way." Illyana still whispered back, though she shot a nervous glance back up the stairs. Raven however wasn't interested in debating, the stoic teen noticeably pissed.
"Aren't you all her f'riends'? Didn't you all make such a show of welcoming her into your grop? Oooh come sit with me Kara, be on my team Kara. And what? She does her evaluation and she's suddenly too dangerous? You're all scared now?" Raven shot a look around the group.
"Tell me this, how scared do you think Kara must have been to act that way back there?" Raven's voice was quiet… too quiet but to the group, it felt like they were receiving a scolding from Jean or Ororo. They might as well have been and each one of them hung their heads, unable to look the older girl in the eye.
"You… are all such… Children." Raven spat out through gritted teeth before forcefully stalking through the quickly departing group and heading upstairs.
Of course it wasn't just the younger students whispering about what had happened. Somehow it seemed all of Xavier's was sharing rumors of what had happened down in the Danger Room.
She had known this was a bad idea... She should have stopped it. Why hadn't she stopped it? She could have talked to Scott after picking up her books, or… she could have stopped Kara from punching those two idiots… Literally Raven could have intervened at any time but did not… Stupid! Now she felt guilty and it wasn't even her fault. Wonderful.
Raven stopped short when she opened the door to her room and didn't find Kara. Silently cursing, she tried thinking where the missing feline could be having already checked the barn, gym, and the library.
Raven got it right on the third guess and with a fair bit of hesitation slowly opened the door to Logan's room.
Kara was there.
Not crying. Not curled up. Not prowling. Not even pacing.
Her head was resting on her arm as she looked out the window, the rest of her sprawled out on the leather chair Logan had by the window. She didn't even look upset.
But that wasn't what really surprised the empath. Raven had braced herself for all kinds of emotions coming off of her roommate but all she was getting was ... nothing. Like a was actually kind of worse than the torrent she'd been expecting. The entire school seemed on edge and here was the cause of it calm and ... empty.
"Kara…" and Raven slowly made her way to the pantheress who had yet to register her presence beyond an ear flick.
"Kara are you ok?" and the pantheress finally lifted her head to look at Raven and she noted how she could see her reflection so clearly in those amber pupils. How where they typically seemed so intense now seemed distant.
"I'm fine." Kara rumbled and resumed looking out the window.
"Yea ... fine." Raven not hiding her sarcasm as she folded her arms taking in the feline, "you really gonna just lay there and pretend like nothing happened down there?"
"I know what happened." Kara replied flatly.
"OK then how about you fill me in?" Raven pressed.
"Evaluation." Kara's tone was flat but a strong sense of resignation and sadness flashed off of Kara for a moment and it caused Raven to shake her head.
"No - I mean yea it was an evaluation. Rogue and Kitty were right, we all do it." Raven shrugged, clearly not getting what had her roommate so ... well maybe not upset but definitely something.
"The same." Kara replied, her eyes still unfocused even as her brow furrowed.
"The same as what?" Raven pressed.
"Them." Kara tone might have remained flat but her claws slipping out to dig slightly into the wood of the windowsill caught Raven's attention.
"Who the hell are - oh ... them." Raven's shoulders dropped as it hit her. The older girl paused for a second, knowing she had to be *careful* with how she was going to go from here.
"Listen," and Raven crouched down so she was at the same level with Kara who tilted her head to look at her, "Scott is an idiot. But he's nothing like the assholes who had you before. No one here is... I mean c'mon, think I'd stick around otherwise?"
Kara looked away from Raven, but the empath could tell her roommate was clearly weighing out what she said even if there was no response. Raven pushed ahead.
"Do you really think Professor Logan would do that to you?" Raven tried again, but quickly stood back up as Kara's deep low rumble.
"Logan not here. He left." It was the fact that the feline had enunciated every word that had Raven worried.
"OK OK..." and she slowly held up her hands, she didn't need to be an empath to sense the growing hostility. There was more silence again, Raven almost half expected sobbing but Kara just stared blankly at her like a statue. It was actually a bit unnerving ... even for Raven.
"How about we just get dinner? Sound good?" At least there was movement again.
"Yeah." and Raven didn't question Kara taking the long way around to the kitchen which happened to avoid the group of kids left whispering at the bottom of the stairs.
Dinner wasn't good. Internally Raven kicked herself for not just grabbing some food and heading straight to their room. Cause Kara was quiet. Like too quiet. I mean don't get her wrong ... Raven liked her quiet but this was just on another level.
Kara had gone through the dining room almost soundlessly and even eating right across from her Raven felt like if she didn't keep an eye on her the feline may just disappear. Like a ghost and - well she really wanted answers.
But right now she guessed it was better to settle for what Kara wanted and it was something she could respect: Distance. Raven decided it was honestly safer to respect that option.
"Um Kara?" and Raven really tried not to curse. Really? Right now?
"Kara we-" and Rogue intervened for the stumbling Kitty.
"We wanted to tell you that you were so awesome at the evaluation!"
"Yeah! and the whole um... Flipping out part wasn't your fault! Scott really messed up. It - he never should have used Sabertooth!"
Raven felt the impact of the crash before she registered it. There hadn't even been a snarl from Kara and the three girls could only stare at the broken remains of what once was the table while Kara's shoulders shook.
Without a word, the feral got up and made her way through the dining room, seemingly oblivious to the quickly parting sea of mummers around her. She'd heard what they said. She knew what they were saying. Thought she was dangerous.
A part of Kara that had been silent for weeks whispered in her head, "Good."
"Nice going." Raven seethed at the trembling Kitty and stunned Rogue before trying to go after her roommate but by the time she got to their room, Kara was nowhere to bee seen.