Back to Gatefold#4 by A. Crute
OcNovember 2017 |
WHERE WALKS THE JUGGERNAUT!
Salem Centre, Coffee A-Go-Go…
The Coffee A-Go-Go had stood on the same spot in the Salem Centre since the late 50’s. It before it’s conversion to the coolest spot in town was a large family business which made the soft parts for soft furnishings.
It since it’s conversion however had become a cultural hub for the teenagers and young revolutionaries of New York. The almost famous and definitely infamous Bernard The Poet had begun his career there watched on by a young Charles Xavier who used to visit and sit either in silence contemplating the world around him or a few years later as he chatted animatedly with a group of fellow young people who always seemed to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. No one would really know about most of them but all of those young people went on to do great things…great and terrible things in many of their cases true but still great.
The spirits of Charles, Raven, Irene, Eric, Christopher, Gabrielle, Logan, Sebastian and the one who seemed most troubled of them all Nathaniel could still be felt by Charles as he brushed the minds of his students who currently sat in the surroundings which he had not dared venture back into after all these years.
He remembered the dark secluded corners and the warm encompassing sofas which were sunk low to the ground. He had fond memories of the place which he could only sum up as…
“Craptacular!” Bobby shook his head as he sunk low into the uncomfortable thread bear sofa which looked like it had been here since The Professor was young. He tried to move his feet but found them stuck to the floor. He couldn’t believe that The Professor had recommended this place.
…The Professor withdrew his mind scan. He had just been checking everything was okay with his students and didn’t really want to hear the rest of Bobby’s thoughts on this one.
Bobby gritted his teeth and pulled his leg up as sharply as he could freeing it from the floor. He sat up straight in the chair which meant his knees were now prodding him in the chest. He peered through the dim room which was sporting long black light destroying curtains in order to keep everything as gloomy as possible in case anyone had the misconception they had came in for a fun time.
Y’know those friendly, happy sunny, we charge a fortune for coffee so were going to have a big old smile, nice ferns and internet access coffee places? It was not one of them.
Hank was threading his way carefully through the low (and surprisingly full) tables and chairs which was filled with students as he made his way back to where they were sitting with two large cups of coffee.
He lowered them to the extremely low table with ease. His body settled into the position of The Beast very easily, he almost seemed reluctant to stand back fully upright before lowering himself into the chair.
“This place is marvellous isn’t it?” Hank grinned with his usual level of Pollyana like optimism and warmth. “I feel just like a beatnik, we must thank The Professor for pointing it out to us.”
Bobby both loved and hated Hank for his constant sunny disposition. Bobby wasn’t exactly morose but a negative comment or two wouldn’t go amiss. Still being sunned to death in this dark hole was better than the tension that the love triangle was bringing on at the mansion.
“I could have been wrong about this Bigfoot but through this eternal darkness did I spy you talking to a babe at the coffee counter?” Bobby smiled as he took a quick sip of his coffee.
“Ah young Bobert you did, you did. That ‘babe’ as you describe her was one miss Stevie Hunter. She is a college student who is operating as a dance instructor in town to pay her way through a joint politics and classic literature degree.” Hank sat forward and took a drink from his own cup too.
“She interested in you…or were you just talking about me?” Bobby lifted his eyebrows.
“We were indeed discussing you and only you ice cube,” Henry smiled as he registered the bemusement and shock which came across Bobby’s face.
“R-really?” he cast a sly…but completely obvious glance from the side of his eyes towards the tall, slender black woman who was leaning with her back against the counter dressed in a casual dress. “Well she’s a little older than me but if she doesn’t mind then I certainly don’t.”
Hank began to laugh.
“You were yanking my chain weren’t you? Wait until were out of sight and you are so getting pelted with snowballs,” Bobby blushed as he tried to hide his slight embarrassment. He didn’t mind being the centre of attention or the butt of jokes, he was especially used to it around Hank as the two had formed a fast friendship which mostly seemed to be built up around making fun of one another at every chance.
“Yes and no. You weren’t the main topic of discussion…she over heard me use a quote from Chaucer when I ordered the Coffee and it went from there. She’s most delightful really, full of…”
“Get to the parts about me,” Bobby moved his hands in quick circles.
Hank sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well in our discussion I couldn’t help but notice the young blonde who Stevie is with over in the corner was doing nothing but staring at a rather morose looking teen who seemed to be having trouble moving his feet from the floor.”
Bobby on this signal, despite thinking ‘play it cool, Iceman’ nearly broke his neck in his rapid turn to look at the blonde girl who was sitting in the corner which Stevie was now moving towards.
The girls’ eyes instantly tore away from him as she stared at the wall not really thinking through her escape plan. She was very pretty…correction she was even hot. Her blonde hair was tied back behind her head. She had light skin which was slowly reddening as she stared at the blank wall to her left. “Yes…and?”
“Well Stevie had noticed it too whilst they’re talking…Zelda by the way is her name and she’s one of Stevie’s students. She’s your age and lives in town. Stevie invited us over to join them if you were interested.” Hank flashed him a knowing smile. Bobby’s hand nearly spilled his coffee as he grabbed it so fast.
“This is great!” Bobby grinned. “We come into town for what 20 minutes and we’ve both got dates.”
“Both?” Hank creased his forehead.
“Yeah you and Stevie. Don’t pretend you weren’t interested. I saw your smile when you were talking about her…plus y’know she is a hot dancer! Two of the sweetest words in the English language, you should know you know most of it…I’ll add smart in to really get your engine revving.”
“Er…she’s not really my type.” Beast shifted uncomfortably and shrugged “I was just pleased to find someone to discuss politics and classic literature who was my own age.”
Bobby cleared his throat “Hot! Dancer!” he stressed the point. “Is this because you don’t think she’ll like you…y’know the big feet, big hands, big stomach…”
“If you’re trying to make me feel better Bobby now would be a good time to stop, she’s just not my type,” Hank nodded, his cheeks were reddening. Bobby held up his hands in apology.
“Dude, I will never say this again and will deny it until my death bed but you are a catch…and one last time Hot! Dancer!”
“Okay one last time Bobby and please I know it’s hard, I’ve read some of your book reports but please read the subtext here…SHE is not my type.”
Bobby sat and eyed Hank for a moment. “Hot!...Danc….oh!” he sat back sharply. “SHE isn’t your type?” Hank nodded slowly with a slight look of embarrassment as realisation dawned on his young friend. “So you’re gay?” Hank nodded again slowly “Oh crap.”
Hank lowered his head and nursed the coffee in his hands. “I was hoping our friendship was stronger than that…and you of all people should have an open mind about someone being a little different.” A quiver of anger moved into his voice.
“Hank!,” Bobby snapped making his friend look up at him. “I’m offended you’d think it would bother me…I said crap because Jean said you were and I bet her you weren’t. You just lost me $20.”
Hank beamed a smile, he didn’t think he had ever been this happy. “Well if it’s any consolation you owe me $30.” Bobby returned the smile and then stood up and nodded towards the girls in the corner. Hank nodded and stood up. “Wait you had a bet with Jean about my sexuality?”
Bobby nodded and shrugged as he began towards the girls. “Yes I know it’s offensive and a betrayal but I wasn’t going to let her insult my buddy…saying you are when you’re not, not that there is a problem with it now that you are…yeah.”
“No no…well yes all of that but you bet JEAN!...Jean the telepath…who probably knew within moments of meeting me about my sexual preference.”
Bobby stopped in his tracks and grunted before carrying on walking. They were with the girls in a moment. Zelda smiled up at him, still blushing slightly. “Hi, I’m Bobby…this is Hank…He’s Gay now!”
The Xavier Academy…
Scott stood starring out of the window of his room down at the mansion grounds. The grounds in which Warren and Jean were walking.
His guts were tight, they’d been tight and painful for over a week. He would have been worried and went to see the Professor or Moira but the truth was they didn’t hurt all the time, just when he thought about Warren. Which unfortunately was most of the time. The guilt pained him.
It was an accident he told himself once again to try and banish the feeling in his stomach. When Wolverine had Jean by the throat ready to kill her Warren made a tactical error. Scott only meant to fire a warning across the bow…but he had miscalculated and had hit Warren.
The only problem was Cyclops didn’t miscalculate. He never miscalculated it was part his mutant power and part his meticulous nature. He knew the variables, seen Warren’s speed and trajectory as well as his own angle…unless there was a rapid change in circumstance he shouldn’t have missed. Did Warren get faster though? Did his speed increase at the last second…or could he have really done it?
He couldn’t admit it to himself though, but always there was this voice in the back of his mind. That voice of doubt which constantly questioned him on his actions, the one which scrutinized everything he did so as he wouldn’t hurt someone accidentally was now dissecting the possibilities around the event. He couldn’t have wanted to hurt Warren could he? He had never thought he had a malicious bone in his body but when he looked down at him and Jean he felt so jealous.
He didn’t want to hurt anyone though. His powers were too dangerous and he knew it. He had always known this and with every accident his powers had caused, every child with a broken arm when they were first emerging, the collapsing roofs of the buildings he lived in until he learned to wake up without opening his eyes. He would never hurt someone, he was too cautious.
Scott for the last week had to watch Warren walk around like a zombie. He was saying everything was alright, he accepted Scott’s apologies and said it didn’t even hurt. That was partially due to Xavier’s powers but still he had no pain but looking at his face you knew he was lying. Scott could see the blame silently being hurled his way.
Warren couldn’t fly. He was going to be grounded for another week or so definetly and then who knew after that. It may have not seemed like much but it was, it was to Warren.
Flying to Warren was like walking to everyone else, like breathing even. It was something he needed to do, it occupied his every thought when he wasn’t doing it and cleared his mind of all others when he did. In the last week Scott couldn’t count the amount of times that he had seen Warren simply starring up into the sky with a look on his face, a look like no other he had ever seen.
He had taken away a fundamental part of Warren, it was almost like he had crippled him and the worst part was he just couldn’t shake the guilty feeling which hung around him like chains in A Christmas Carol. What if he had done it on purpose?
Jean looked up at him from below. She smiled, it was a sympathetic one. She had briefly brushed against his thoughts and knew he was watching them and feeling guilty for the accident which had grounded Warren.
“Are you okay?” she asked as she turned back to Warren and kept walking with him. “War?”
“hmm,” Warren made an absent minded noise and then turned from staring into the clouds to looking at Jean. “Yeah,” he meant to nod but his head shook from side to side as he spoke. He tried to force a smile with not too much success “I’m fine.”
“Now I’m picking something up,” Jean put her hand to her head as she does when she focuses her telepathy.
“telepathy?” Warren smiled again, this one was a little more genuine.
“No BS detector,” Jean smiled at him. Warren had to let out a little quiet laugh at that one. “Finally, you’ve been making Scott look carefree all day.”
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two. The mention of Scott’s name had introduced an elephant into the room. They kept walking on quietly. Jean was attracted to Scott and he to her, that much was clear but what was also clear was her and Warren were attracted to one another too…plus the whole Scott being responsible for crippling Warren.
“He needs to relax,” Warren nodded. “I don’t blame him y’know…” it sounded disingenuous.
Jean nodded understandingly. She could sense that Warren did, somewhere ever so slightly blame Scott but she kept it to herself. The fact she was picking up on more was that Warren blamed himself.
“I’m just so angry…at no one in particular. Well more myself, I charged in stupidly and could have got you hurt, that’s why Cyclops did what he did. Since then though everything people are doing, everything they’re saying is just getting under my skin…making me so irritated.” He sighed heavily.
“It’s understandable,” she leaned against him and hugged his arm down one of her sides as she linked against him. “I know you don’t expect me to understand, no one ever expects someone else to understand but I do…I can pick it up from you like I was feeling it myself. I don’t know what I’d do without my telekinesis, it’d be like I lost a hand… it must feel like you’ve lost the use of your legs.”
“Something like that,” he shook his head trying to brush it off. “I shouldn’t really complain. I got by for long enough in my life without my wings…and I’ve still got my other powers…”
“I imagine heightened vision, hearing, hollow bones and peak human physiology is a massive consolation when you’ve lost the ability to fly…actually yes what are you complaining about again? You can bench press Hank & Bobby if needs be.”
The two laughed again. They rounded one of the corners of the mansion and looked out down the small hill which rolled to the forest below.
“See when I’m with you none of it is so bad, it all seems less horrific. I don’t focus on not being able to fly and just keep thinking about when I will be able to again. I’d like to take you up with me if you’d like. I think flying would be even better with two….y’know when were not plummeting from a plane and stuff.”
Jean beamed at him. She looked into his eyes, she’d never realised how blue they really were. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, Jean responded in kind and the two began to kiss. They broke away after a few moments.
“Jean as well as the flying how would you like to go on a date…anything you like. New York, Paris, The Salem Centre.”
“I’d like that too,” she smiled and entwined his fingers with hers kissing him again.
In the mansion’s kitchen…
Moira McTaggart stood at the kitchen bench with mixing bowl in hand swirling the wooden spoon in her other across the base as the mix folded in on itself again and again.
The door to the room swung open as Xavier wheeled himself in and smiled at Moira and her daughter, his ‘niece’ Rahne. “G’d Aftanoon Charles,” she said almost stingingly in her broad Scottish brogue. Rahne was stood on a kitchen chair at the bench next to her mother, she was some kind of mixture across her nose where Moira had just wiped it with a laugh. She waved at her uncle Charles.
“What are the two Celtic women of the house up to may I ask? I know you said you’d help out with the cooking Moira but I’m sure the worlds foremost geneticist has something else she’d rather be doing…or at least reading one of the several papers Henry has given to you to look over before submission.”
“Oh that’s all done, couldn’t put it down last night. Stayed up half the night reading them all…boy’s a genius Charles. I spent three years studying cellular mitosis and meiosis in mutations and the boy writes the seminal paper on it over the space of a week.”
“We’re cooking cakes,” Rahne smiled, “Baking!” she quickly corrected in a false American accent that she had been doing around the others since the day after she arrived as she changed her choice of word for an ‘Americanism’. She shot a look at the two one after the other and wondered if either had picked up on her changing the subject away from genetic research, even at her tender age she knew no fun was to be had during that discussion.
Charles smiled broadly as he picked up the stray thought.
“Aye we are Charles, this isn’t for tea. That’s Henry and Robbie’s turn tonight…I dare say pizza from in the town aye?” She smiled. “I may be a bloody good geneticist but I’m a better mother…even if I am rubbish at the cake making. That’s why Rahne is helping me isn’t it?”
Rahne giggled and nodded. “Ma’s making a double helix biscuit too so she can feel like she’s done some bloody work today,” she smiled up at Moira to show that she had been paying attention. Moira couldn’t help but laughing.
“What has the rest of yuir day got in store for you Charles? If yuir not too busy I had the latest data from Kevin faxed over this morning and was wondering if you could give it a fresh eye.”
Charles nodded. He motioned for Rahne to slide the small bowl that she was stirring towards him. She did so allowing him to run his index finger around the upper rim tasting the cake mixture. His hand quickly darted out and wiped the rest of the cake mixture down the other side of Rahne’s face.
She laughed loudly and went to wipe it away. Charles turned to answer Moira’s question. “All I wanted to do was do this afternoons sweep with Cerebro and then I was going to suggest I could spend the afternoon looking after Rahne so you could do some work but if you would rather…”
“Can he Ma?” Rahne looked up hopefully.
“I dinnae Rahne you’ve got a lot of homework to do,” Moira raised one eyebrow and looked fown the length of her nose at her daughter.
“Yae and Uncle Charles are my teachers,” smiled Rahne.
“Well I think an extension could be in order,” Charles smiled “So what would you like to do?”
Rahne thought for a moment. She had still much of the mansion and its grounds to explore both as a little girl and a wolf but she imagined that her uncle Charles had already explored much of the mansion since he grew up here. “We could play hide and seek!” she yelped, this would be a game they could play and would let her explore a little.
“Well,” Charles thought for a moment. “I can’t see myself climbing into any wardrobes in the near future but…” he smiled for a split second.
Rahne found herself hovering over a large globe. Stars twinkled in the black all around her. “I’ll help your mother finish the cakes and you find somewhere to hide and then I’ll try and find you.”
Rahne laughed and then zoomed forward like she was flying towards the giant globe below her.
The girls body, her eyes closed and a big smile stretching across her face was slumped against Charles’s body in his lap.
“You spoil that girl Charles,” Moira smiled, she realised it was the pot calling the kettle black. She had always doted on the girl.
“What do you expect, her and Kevin are the closest thing I have to children…possibly the only thing I’ll ever have anything like them. If I can’t spoil them what can I do.”
“Dinnae be silly Charles, you’ve got at least 5 children. Scott looks up to you like yae were really his father.” She paused for a moment again and began to open her mouth.
“Yes,” Charles answered having picked up on her thoughts already “I know, I know I should tell him about his father. The history we share but I find it hard to find the right time to broach the subject.” He nodded, Moira returned it.
She then smiled widely. “Y’know what never fails whenever Kevin has…an episode,” Moira cleared her throat afterwards “Whenever y’know what really calms him down. If you talk about that time that you took him for a week to Narnia and a weekend in Middle earth in that afternoon in your mindscape. I think it’s his happiest memory.”
Charles returned the smile. “Ready or not here I come,” he smiled as he spoke and then closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes again a few seconds later and Rahne let out a shriek of laughter. Moira nearly dropped the mixing bowl. Even though she’d mentioned it moments before she forgot how quickly a trip to the mindscape could be. No doubt the two had spent many relative hours taking turns to hide all over the globe.
“Uncle Charles hid on Mars Ma…I told him he was cheating…than we went for a walk across the Milky Way,” she beamed.
“We’ve still got most of the afternoon if there is anything else you want to do? How about the movies…” his face suddenly turned serious and he tilted his head towards the front door. “Rahne I am sorry but I think we may have to call our afternoon to an end.”
“Is everything okay Charles?” Moira asked, concerned. She had seen the expression on Charles face before.
“I’m not sure…my brother Cain has just arrived.”
“Warren inside and bind your wings now…Scott, Rahne, Jean the four of you show no powers until further notice!” he swiftly commanded.
“He doesn’t know that I am a mutant.”
Meanwhile elsewhere, the vast base of The Brotherhood…
The Blob, Fred Dukes terrorist extraordinaire. Fredrick J Dukes (he’ll never tell anyone but the J stands for Jodie…his parents wanted a girl), his powers include ‘enhanced mass and multiple layers of elastic, fatty tissue grant him superhuman strength, are able to absorb all forms of impact and damage, and are flexible enough to hold objects within the folds of his flesh and pop them out when he flexes his muscles. He can also generate gravity fields that hold him firmly in place to make him an immovable object.’ According to one mutant news site but what all of these reports fail to mention are his hypnotic powers, powers Wanda AKA The Scarlet Witch was becoming all too aware.
She watched Fred in her hypnotic trance as he tucked into his third helping of spicy chicken wings. Wanda couldn’t but help stare at the hypnotic quality the fat around his neck had when it jiggled (like Jell-O), one ripple moved into the next and changed direction ever so slightly, if it wasn’t so disgusting it would be beautiful.
Wanda revelled in the beauty of these things. She couldn’t help it, she was the beauty in the world all around her. It was honestly all that had kept her with her father for all these years…that and her brother Pietro. His constant need to please their father.
She sighed slightly and wondered what her ‘uncle’ Charles was up to at the moment and then with a blink tore her eyes away from The Blob as her brother exploded into the room sending all of the papers lying around flying into the air.
“Backs against the wall boys Pietro is here,” Blob grunted with a laugh, the chicken grease dribbled over the third of his many chins.
Pietro turned, his high cheek bones and thin structure the perfect mirror to his sisters. They looked more alike than any male-female twin pair should.
“Blob even if I believed for a second you could get your back to touch the wall through all of that fat…what my rotund tumour of a homo-superior makes you think that I would be interested in you? I prefer my men more like men and less like whales which have been mysteriously discovered at the bottom of a fast food restraint grease trap.”
Blob glared at him for a second through his little piggy eyes, the fat which amazingly nestled in his brow slid forth covering part of his vision. The insult would reach his brain in a second but he was already setting about preparing his face for the indignant scowl. It hit home after a second. “Well…could you be any more gay if you tried?” He snorted and smiled to himself on a well made insult.
“Listen to me you tubby piece of crap. If brains were…”
“I wish you wouldn’t get into arguments with him…or the others. Its just not worth is brother,” Wanda smiled and turned to walk away slowly knowing that her brother would join her rather than standing to hurl abuse at Blob. He preferred his slanging matches to be with people who had enough intelligence to defend themselves. “What have you been up to?”
“I was delivering father’s final instructions on finding the place to that Russian mutant.”
“Interesting?” Wanda asked as the two made their way down the corridor from the room they were in.
“Well Russia is still in need of mechanisation and diversification but other than that you’ve seen one field of crops, one snow field and one mountain you’ve seen them all.”
“Except Wundagore,” Wanda smiled, her brother returned it.
“Yes except Wundagore.”
“Was this new mutant interesting? Should I expect something special?” Wanda was fishing for information. Only her father and brother had any idea who this mutant was.
“Interesting in their own way…backside you can bounce a ruble off. Not really my type though.”
“I fail to ever understand what you’re type is brother,” Wanda shot Pietro a smile.
“Same as yours, slim and male,” he smiled.
“But which category does our newest acquisition fail on?” Wanda raised her eyebrow. Her brother was clearly playing on of his games now. A skill he had gotten from their father, why give an answer when three different riddles mixed with four levels of superiority would do. Pietro tapped the side of his nose, the twins smiled and then Wanda gave her brother a push against the wall.
“Wanda my dear you are looking delightful,” Jason Wyngarde smiled sickeningly from the doorway he had just stepped from behind. He was in his early forties (no matter how he decided to make himself look) but for some reason didn’t think anything wrong with staring at the cleavage of the 18 year old mutant. She tugged her red shirt closed.
Pietro, as ever, was at her side and then in the face of Mastermind in a second. “Wyngarde shouldn’t you be off living in a fantasy world away from the real one in which your life is so unsatisfying?” he spat.
“That insult would burn Quicksilver if not for the fact that you’re in the exact position that I am…and you got there by nepotism. Which is strange given the lack of care your father seems to have for you.” He smiled, that was definitely a victory to him.
Pietro took a swing as Mastermind to find himself sailing through the image. Several more appeared around them. Mastermind had been standing behind leering down Wanda’s top the whole time. He slowly strolled away filling the corridor with images of himself to hide him from any wrath Pietro would try and dish out.
“Ignore him,” Wanda stooped to look her brother in his grey eyes. Mastermind had cut straight to Pietro’s biggest Achilles heel. He desperately wanted the love of their father, hence his burning need to please him at all times but for whatever reason their father seemed incapable of giving it to him. He made it clear how much he loved Wanda but he never gave any praise to Pietro even when Wanda asked him to directly. Pietro nodded and tried to hide his pain (ineffectively).
“Do you ever wonder,” Wanda bit her lip, she had tried to approach this subject before only to be rebuffed by her brother, now seemed it might be the right time. “If what we do with father is the right thing?”
Pietro looked up at her, his face went from hurt to complete stone in a second. “No, father is right. We are homo-superior and we deserve…”
“Homo-Superior. Blob, Mastermind, Toad and Vanisher…not one of them with an ounce of taste, intelligence or common sense. These are the ones he has following him.”
“He has us,” Pietro nodded as if strengthening his own resolve. “The new Russian and the British one he is with now are also true representatives of Homo-Superior.”
“Please you’re just saying that about Chamber because he likes the same rock bands as you do…who I may mention father doesn’t approve of.”
Pietro was silent for a moment. Wanda could tell by his expression that he did question their father but he would not speak up against him. Whether it was through fear or desire for his love, he would remain silent.
“Pietro, if I asked you….you say you love me. If I asked you would you set aside this quest for father’s love and leave the brotherhood?”
“In a second,” he nodded without a thought. Wanda opened her mouth to speak but her brother spoke again “if you love me, you would not ask.”
Wanda was silent.
“This brings us back to my children,” Magneto said with a guiding hand as he appeared at the end of the corridor walking alongside the British mutant who had called himself Chamber. “Pietro why are you on the floor like some pathetic human, stand up proudly.”
Pietro nodded slowly and stood up.
The psionic flame which erupted from Chamber’s chest glowed and roared lighting up the corridor. Their father’s cape billowed behind him.
He looked like a stronger thicker set version of his son Pietro. He had a square jaw and thick set features but is what definitely would be described as a silver fox. The regenerative powers of some mutants he had met over the years making him appear much younger than his years.
“So Chamber will you be joining our Brotherhood?”
“Do I have a choice?” The voice replied from all around them telepathically.
“We all have a choice,” Magneto said slowly. He, even if he had not meant it as such…which he had, made it sound like a threat.
“Well even if I did,” replied Chamber picking up on the threat “I’d be in mate. I’d kept my nose out of all this shit…until my own government hunted me down and sent me across the pond to rot in some prison cell. If that’s what humanity is all about bring on the mutants…let the rest of them burn.”
His flames fired up for a second. It illuminated the happy expression on Magneto’s face. His Brotherhood was falling into place and soon they would be ready to begin the next stages of their plan, finding The Phoenix and then beginning the extermination of human kind.
Xavier Academy…
Scott made his way downstairs and met up with Jean as she walked across the hallway. “Warren?” he asked, his voice took on the commanding tone that it had when he was being Cyclops as opposed to plain old Scott.
“Upstairs binding, you seen anything of this brother yet?” She asked.
Scott shook his head slowly. “I went to the window when The Professor explained everything but just in time to see him vanish through the door. Got a good look at his Hummer though. I don’t think he knocked at all.”
They pushed open the door to the kitchen. The four figures in there turned to look at them. Moira and Rahne were looking sheepish, Rahne more so than her mother but Moira clearly looked very uncomfortable.
The Professor’s eyebrows were arched into angry vees which creased his brow something terrible.
The fourth figure was a mountain of a man. He was over six and a half feet tall, he was wide and muscular and had a thick set jaw which would have put Hank to shame. He had reddish brown hair which was cut short in a crew cut. He wore a plain white shirt which had it’s top buttons buttoned down.
He looked at the teens and then panned down to Charles. “How many more have you got living here?” His voice reverberated around the room, the tone was not friendly in fact it was almost accusatory.
“if you’d called to let me know you were coming I would have explained…”
“Why should I call?” he cut off his younger step-brother as he raised his voice. “This is my house as much as it is yours.”
“Cain this house has been in my family for…”
“Yeah and after your old man snuffed it mine took it over and kept your ma’ out of the poor house…he was it’s rightful owner. It got left to the two of us, I can come home whenever I want…and I don’t expect you to be running some kind of ,” he gestured wildly in the air “whatever the hell this is.”
“It’s a school Cain,” Charles stared up into his brothers eyes which was difficult because of the height difference between the two men with Charles in the chair.
“Well call vacation because I want them out of here, I come home from tour and I don’t want the cast of Saved by the bell running around watching Nicktoons or whatever when I’m trying to relax.” He shrugged “Hey red you the nurse maid around here? Any chance of a coffee?” he winked at Moira.
Jean was picking up waves of emotion from The Professor as his mind raced. Intimidation, fear and just sheer anger were the three strongest which kept hammering against the side of her mind.
“I am most certainly not the nurse maid…Charles?” simply asking his name said so much to The Professor as he read it as a request for instructions on how best to handle this moment.
“Please Moira if you would get him a coffee, I’ll have tea if it’s not too much of an imposition.”
“Professor?” Scott spoke for the first time, this was Scott speaking not Cyclops. There was uncertainty in his voice over what he should be doing if anything.
“Jesus Chuck you’ve got them well trained aint ya? Professor,” he snorted after he said it. “Well slim you best call me Captain Marko,” he grinned which looked more like a sneer.
“I thought you’d been demoted following that incident in Afghanistan three years ago?” It was clear to all involved that The Professor took quite a lot of joy in that comment, it was unusual to see his face smiling in such a sinister way.
“Got Promoted again didn’t I, seven months ago…where was it you made it to when you were in the army cueball?”
“You were in the army Professor?” Jean chimed in, she was trying to keep her tone light and jovial as possible.
“Barely,” Marko snorted. “He went from desk job to desk job to search and rescue, barely saw any action at all…then upped and left when his first tour was up.”
“We had the misfortune of being stationed together for the last 6months, I decided my future didn’t lie in the army after that.” Cain snorted again when the Professor finished speaking.
The swing door to the kitchen swung inwards again as a uncomfortable looking Warren walked in. His injured wing being bound was obviously causing him pain. “Jesus H Christ! Another one! Nice to meet you all now ring your parents and have them come for you because you’re out of here.”
“I don’t think that will be happening Cain,” The Professor spoke with a calm voice.
“Like hell it wont, this is my house and I say…”
“This is also a registered private school for 6 students, any disruption to the education I am contractually obliged to give them would result in a breach of contract and at least one hefty law suit from Warren’s father…who may I add can afford the best lawyers and wouldn’t lose. If these students are forced to leave this school it would bankrupt me and seeing as I’ve been paying for this house for the past decade you’ve been serving in the military this house would go with it.”
Cain glared at him, his nose wrinkled and then turned to look at the other faces in the kitchen. “Okay don’t blow a gasket wheels, I’ll be up in my room…that’s still there it hasn’t been turned into a gym or anything?”
“No, it’s exactly as you’ve left it…I made sure not to have it cleaned in the past decade,” Charles smiled. Cain paused for a second with a grimace on his face.
Cain turned and walked towards the three teen X-Men. He fixed each of them with a stare for a second or two and then puckered his lips to Jean before snorting and walking past them.
He walked out into the hall. A snowball impacted on the floor and skidded to his foot. He slowly panned his vision from the snowball up to the two teens who had walked through the front door a moment earlier.
One tubby one seemed to be doing a handstand while some snot nosed punk seemed frozen in position from where he had thrown the snowball, probably at the other one Cain reasoned…so no need to pound the little snot.
“Uh Snow cone,” offered the teen, panic stretched across his face. Cain sighed and began to make his way up the stairs.
Hank and Bobby quickly made their way through the swinging door into the kitchen area.
“Charles what was all that about? I’ve never seen you behave in such a way,” Moira sounded half shocked and half scornful.
“I know and I’m sorry, my brother and I have…problems,” Charles closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “I should know better but..”
“Yes you should,” Moira sounded like a scornful mother. “Lord knows he does seem like a prize arse but no matter…Oh god Charles,” her hand moved to her mouth quickly. Jean recognised what had happened instantly picking up on some special telepathic wave which had passed between the two.
Jean looked to Moira, she was expecting to get some residual thoughts but all she got was the feeling of The Professor like he was forming some sort of defence around Moira. She panned her eyes to The Professor only to find his eyes already fixed on her, the warning was clear.
“What the hell is going on? Who was that guy…you have a brother?” Bobby queried in quick succession.
“Cain will be staying with us for the moment, no powers are to be used while he is on the property…think of it as a test if needs be, getting by without them.”
Elsewhere…
The dock sunk about a foot spilling some water across it as the figure stepped off of the boat (which instantly rose a little).
He was close to eight feet tall. The sun glinted of his round helmet which honestly made him look a little bit like a missile.
He was built like The Great Wall of China…which ironically had been partially created to act as a defence against his predecessor.
He closed his eyes and turned his head homing in on the target that he wanted. He began to walk.
The unstoppable force was on the move.
The Xavier Academy, that night…
Moira walked down the corridor which connected her room with Charles. She had just checked in on Warren who was now stretching his wings in the privacy of his own room and Rahne who was sound asleep, her leg twitching and her lip raised in a mini growl as she slept.
Moira had walked this route many times since she had begun to stay at the mansion. She would sit up well past her bedtime talking to her closest friend.
Tonight however something was different, with the inclusion of Cain to their household things were different.
She paused for a moment outside his open door. He stood in his underwear at the open window, it’s curtains blowing in towards him. In his hand he held something, it was about half the size of his hand and was a dark red. It seemed to glow in the light of the moon.
“Either come in, shut the door and we can have some fun…or keep walking to see Chuck and have a disappointing night,” this was the first she realised Cain was aware of her. She cleared her throat and carried on rapping on Charles’ door.
“Come in,” he called and Moira did so closing the door behind her.
“Moira, before you start I know…I know fine and well. What I did…today and back then was unacceptable.”
“Charles after what that man put you through…both of you…I just don’t know how you and Cain can be at each others throats. Such a…”
“Moira,” Charles sighed. “I’ve been through it all a thousand times in my head, no matter what I try Cain and I will always clash. The past we have, isn’t easily forgotten.”
“But Charles,” Moira began.
“Enough!” He snapped and then took a deep breath, apologising telepathically, “I cut him the slack I can. He’s AWOL…I’m sure of it, I wont pry further into his mind but he’s definitely running from something…He wont be here long before he has to move on.”
“AWOL and on the run? Charles I know you try to respect peoples privacy but we have children here. If Cain could in some way be a danger…”
“I will not go into his mind Moira, I did that enough when we were growing up…I…”
“What is it Charles?”
“His father…the things he did to us. Cain fought back one day, I was scared and lashed out at his father. I didn’t mean to but I shut his mind down completely…I killed him. Then I erased Cain’s memories.”
To Be Continued…
Salem Centre, Coffee A-Go-Go…
The Coffee A-Go-Go had stood on the same spot in the Salem Centre since the late 50’s. It before it’s conversion to the coolest spot in town was a large family business which made the soft parts for soft furnishings.
It since it’s conversion however had become a cultural hub for the teenagers and young revolutionaries of New York. The almost famous and definitely infamous Bernard The Poet had begun his career there watched on by a young Charles Xavier who used to visit and sit either in silence contemplating the world around him or a few years later as he chatted animatedly with a group of fellow young people who always seemed to have the weight of the world on their shoulders. No one would really know about most of them but all of those young people went on to do great things…great and terrible things in many of their cases true but still great.
The spirits of Charles, Raven, Irene, Eric, Christopher, Gabrielle, Logan, Sebastian and the one who seemed most troubled of them all Nathaniel could still be felt by Charles as he brushed the minds of his students who currently sat in the surroundings which he had not dared venture back into after all these years.
He remembered the dark secluded corners and the warm encompassing sofas which were sunk low to the ground. He had fond memories of the place which he could only sum up as…
“Craptacular!” Bobby shook his head as he sunk low into the uncomfortable thread bear sofa which looked like it had been here since The Professor was young. He tried to move his feet but found them stuck to the floor. He couldn’t believe that The Professor had recommended this place.
…The Professor withdrew his mind scan. He had just been checking everything was okay with his students and didn’t really want to hear the rest of Bobby’s thoughts on this one.
Bobby gritted his teeth and pulled his leg up as sharply as he could freeing it from the floor. He sat up straight in the chair which meant his knees were now prodding him in the chest. He peered through the dim room which was sporting long black light destroying curtains in order to keep everything as gloomy as possible in case anyone had the misconception they had came in for a fun time.
Y’know those friendly, happy sunny, we charge a fortune for coffee so were going to have a big old smile, nice ferns and internet access coffee places? It was not one of them.
Hank was threading his way carefully through the low (and surprisingly full) tables and chairs which was filled with students as he made his way back to where they were sitting with two large cups of coffee.
He lowered them to the extremely low table with ease. His body settled into the position of The Beast very easily, he almost seemed reluctant to stand back fully upright before lowering himself into the chair.
“This place is marvellous isn’t it?” Hank grinned with his usual level of Pollyana like optimism and warmth. “I feel just like a beatnik, we must thank The Professor for pointing it out to us.”
Bobby both loved and hated Hank for his constant sunny disposition. Bobby wasn’t exactly morose but a negative comment or two wouldn’t go amiss. Still being sunned to death in this dark hole was better than the tension that the love triangle was bringing on at the mansion.
“I could have been wrong about this Bigfoot but through this eternal darkness did I spy you talking to a babe at the coffee counter?” Bobby smiled as he took a quick sip of his coffee.
“Ah young Bobert you did, you did. That ‘babe’ as you describe her was one miss Stevie Hunter. She is a college student who is operating as a dance instructor in town to pay her way through a joint politics and classic literature degree.” Hank sat forward and took a drink from his own cup too.
“She interested in you…or were you just talking about me?” Bobby lifted his eyebrows.
“We were indeed discussing you and only you ice cube,” Henry smiled as he registered the bemusement and shock which came across Bobby’s face.
“R-really?” he cast a sly…but completely obvious glance from the side of his eyes towards the tall, slender black woman who was leaning with her back against the counter dressed in a casual dress. “Well she’s a little older than me but if she doesn’t mind then I certainly don’t.”
Hank began to laugh.
“You were yanking my chain weren’t you? Wait until were out of sight and you are so getting pelted with snowballs,” Bobby blushed as he tried to hide his slight embarrassment. He didn’t mind being the centre of attention or the butt of jokes, he was especially used to it around Hank as the two had formed a fast friendship which mostly seemed to be built up around making fun of one another at every chance.
“Yes and no. You weren’t the main topic of discussion…she over heard me use a quote from Chaucer when I ordered the Coffee and it went from there. She’s most delightful really, full of…”
“Get to the parts about me,” Bobby moved his hands in quick circles.
Hank sighed and rolled his eyes. “Well in our discussion I couldn’t help but notice the young blonde who Stevie is with over in the corner was doing nothing but staring at a rather morose looking teen who seemed to be having trouble moving his feet from the floor.”
Bobby on this signal, despite thinking ‘play it cool, Iceman’ nearly broke his neck in his rapid turn to look at the blonde girl who was sitting in the corner which Stevie was now moving towards.
The girls’ eyes instantly tore away from him as she stared at the wall not really thinking through her escape plan. She was very pretty…correction she was even hot. Her blonde hair was tied back behind her head. She had light skin which was slowly reddening as she stared at the blank wall to her left. “Yes…and?”
“Well Stevie had noticed it too whilst they’re talking…Zelda by the way is her name and she’s one of Stevie’s students. She’s your age and lives in town. Stevie invited us over to join them if you were interested.” Hank flashed him a knowing smile. Bobby’s hand nearly spilled his coffee as he grabbed it so fast.
“This is great!” Bobby grinned. “We come into town for what 20 minutes and we’ve both got dates.”
“Both?” Hank creased his forehead.
“Yeah you and Stevie. Don’t pretend you weren’t interested. I saw your smile when you were talking about her…plus y’know she is a hot dancer! Two of the sweetest words in the English language, you should know you know most of it…I’ll add smart in to really get your engine revving.”
“Er…she’s not really my type.” Beast shifted uncomfortably and shrugged “I was just pleased to find someone to discuss politics and classic literature who was my own age.”
Bobby cleared his throat “Hot! Dancer!” he stressed the point. “Is this because you don’t think she’ll like you…y’know the big feet, big hands, big stomach…”
“If you’re trying to make me feel better Bobby now would be a good time to stop, she’s just not my type,” Hank nodded, his cheeks were reddening. Bobby held up his hands in apology.
“Dude, I will never say this again and will deny it until my death bed but you are a catch…and one last time Hot! Dancer!”
“Okay one last time Bobby and please I know it’s hard, I’ve read some of your book reports but please read the subtext here…SHE is not my type.”
Bobby sat and eyed Hank for a moment. “Hot!...Danc….oh!” he sat back sharply. “SHE isn’t your type?” Hank nodded slowly with a slight look of embarrassment as realisation dawned on his young friend. “So you’re gay?” Hank nodded again slowly “Oh crap.”
Hank lowered his head and nursed the coffee in his hands. “I was hoping our friendship was stronger than that…and you of all people should have an open mind about someone being a little different.” A quiver of anger moved into his voice.
“Hank!,” Bobby snapped making his friend look up at him. “I’m offended you’d think it would bother me…I said crap because Jean said you were and I bet her you weren’t. You just lost me $20.”
Hank beamed a smile, he didn’t think he had ever been this happy. “Well if it’s any consolation you owe me $30.” Bobby returned the smile and then stood up and nodded towards the girls in the corner. Hank nodded and stood up. “Wait you had a bet with Jean about my sexuality?”
Bobby nodded and shrugged as he began towards the girls. “Yes I know it’s offensive and a betrayal but I wasn’t going to let her insult my buddy…saying you are when you’re not, not that there is a problem with it now that you are…yeah.”
“No no…well yes all of that but you bet JEAN!...Jean the telepath…who probably knew within moments of meeting me about my sexual preference.”
Bobby stopped in his tracks and grunted before carrying on walking. They were with the girls in a moment. Zelda smiled up at him, still blushing slightly. “Hi, I’m Bobby…this is Hank…He’s Gay now!”
The Xavier Academy…
Scott stood starring out of the window of his room down at the mansion grounds. The grounds in which Warren and Jean were walking.
His guts were tight, they’d been tight and painful for over a week. He would have been worried and went to see the Professor or Moira but the truth was they didn’t hurt all the time, just when he thought about Warren. Which unfortunately was most of the time. The guilt pained him.
It was an accident he told himself once again to try and banish the feeling in his stomach. When Wolverine had Jean by the throat ready to kill her Warren made a tactical error. Scott only meant to fire a warning across the bow…but he had miscalculated and had hit Warren.
The only problem was Cyclops didn’t miscalculate. He never miscalculated it was part his mutant power and part his meticulous nature. He knew the variables, seen Warren’s speed and trajectory as well as his own angle…unless there was a rapid change in circumstance he shouldn’t have missed. Did Warren get faster though? Did his speed increase at the last second…or could he have really done it?
He couldn’t admit it to himself though, but always there was this voice in the back of his mind. That voice of doubt which constantly questioned him on his actions, the one which scrutinized everything he did so as he wouldn’t hurt someone accidentally was now dissecting the possibilities around the event. He couldn’t have wanted to hurt Warren could he? He had never thought he had a malicious bone in his body but when he looked down at him and Jean he felt so jealous.
He didn’t want to hurt anyone though. His powers were too dangerous and he knew it. He had always known this and with every accident his powers had caused, every child with a broken arm when they were first emerging, the collapsing roofs of the buildings he lived in until he learned to wake up without opening his eyes. He would never hurt someone, he was too cautious.
Scott for the last week had to watch Warren walk around like a zombie. He was saying everything was alright, he accepted Scott’s apologies and said it didn’t even hurt. That was partially due to Xavier’s powers but still he had no pain but looking at his face you knew he was lying. Scott could see the blame silently being hurled his way.
Warren couldn’t fly. He was going to be grounded for another week or so definetly and then who knew after that. It may have not seemed like much but it was, it was to Warren.
Flying to Warren was like walking to everyone else, like breathing even. It was something he needed to do, it occupied his every thought when he wasn’t doing it and cleared his mind of all others when he did. In the last week Scott couldn’t count the amount of times that he had seen Warren simply starring up into the sky with a look on his face, a look like no other he had ever seen.
He had taken away a fundamental part of Warren, it was almost like he had crippled him and the worst part was he just couldn’t shake the guilty feeling which hung around him like chains in A Christmas Carol. What if he had done it on purpose?
Jean looked up at him from below. She smiled, it was a sympathetic one. She had briefly brushed against his thoughts and knew he was watching them and feeling guilty for the accident which had grounded Warren.
“Are you okay?” she asked as she turned back to Warren and kept walking with him. “War?”
“hmm,” Warren made an absent minded noise and then turned from staring into the clouds to looking at Jean. “Yeah,” he meant to nod but his head shook from side to side as he spoke. He tried to force a smile with not too much success “I’m fine.”
“Now I’m picking something up,” Jean put her hand to her head as she does when she focuses her telepathy.
“telepathy?” Warren smiled again, this one was a little more genuine.
“No BS detector,” Jean smiled at him. Warren had to let out a little quiet laugh at that one. “Finally, you’ve been making Scott look carefree all day.”
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two. The mention of Scott’s name had introduced an elephant into the room. They kept walking on quietly. Jean was attracted to Scott and he to her, that much was clear but what was also clear was her and Warren were attracted to one another too…plus the whole Scott being responsible for crippling Warren.
“He needs to relax,” Warren nodded. “I don’t blame him y’know…” it sounded disingenuous.
Jean nodded understandingly. She could sense that Warren did, somewhere ever so slightly blame Scott but she kept it to herself. The fact she was picking up on more was that Warren blamed himself.
“I’m just so angry…at no one in particular. Well more myself, I charged in stupidly and could have got you hurt, that’s why Cyclops did what he did. Since then though everything people are doing, everything they’re saying is just getting under my skin…making me so irritated.” He sighed heavily.
“It’s understandable,” she leaned against him and hugged his arm down one of her sides as she linked against him. “I know you don’t expect me to understand, no one ever expects someone else to understand but I do…I can pick it up from you like I was feeling it myself. I don’t know what I’d do without my telekinesis, it’d be like I lost a hand… it must feel like you’ve lost the use of your legs.”
“Something like that,” he shook his head trying to brush it off. “I shouldn’t really complain. I got by for long enough in my life without my wings…and I’ve still got my other powers…”
“I imagine heightened vision, hearing, hollow bones and peak human physiology is a massive consolation when you’ve lost the ability to fly…actually yes what are you complaining about again? You can bench press Hank & Bobby if needs be.”
The two laughed again. They rounded one of the corners of the mansion and looked out down the small hill which rolled to the forest below.
“See when I’m with you none of it is so bad, it all seems less horrific. I don’t focus on not being able to fly and just keep thinking about when I will be able to again. I’d like to take you up with me if you’d like. I think flying would be even better with two….y’know when were not plummeting from a plane and stuff.”
Jean beamed at him. She looked into his eyes, she’d never realised how blue they really were. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, Jean responded in kind and the two began to kiss. They broke away after a few moments.
“Jean as well as the flying how would you like to go on a date…anything you like. New York, Paris, The Salem Centre.”
“I’d like that too,” she smiled and entwined his fingers with hers kissing him again.
In the mansion’s kitchen…
Moira McTaggart stood at the kitchen bench with mixing bowl in hand swirling the wooden spoon in her other across the base as the mix folded in on itself again and again.
The door to the room swung open as Xavier wheeled himself in and smiled at Moira and her daughter, his ‘niece’ Rahne. “G’d Aftanoon Charles,” she said almost stingingly in her broad Scottish brogue. Rahne was stood on a kitchen chair at the bench next to her mother, she was some kind of mixture across her nose where Moira had just wiped it with a laugh. She waved at her uncle Charles.
“What are the two Celtic women of the house up to may I ask? I know you said you’d help out with the cooking Moira but I’m sure the worlds foremost geneticist has something else she’d rather be doing…or at least reading one of the several papers Henry has given to you to look over before submission.”
“Oh that’s all done, couldn’t put it down last night. Stayed up half the night reading them all…boy’s a genius Charles. I spent three years studying cellular mitosis and meiosis in mutations and the boy writes the seminal paper on it over the space of a week.”
“We’re cooking cakes,” Rahne smiled, “Baking!” she quickly corrected in a false American accent that she had been doing around the others since the day after she arrived as she changed her choice of word for an ‘Americanism’. She shot a look at the two one after the other and wondered if either had picked up on her changing the subject away from genetic research, even at her tender age she knew no fun was to be had during that discussion.
Charles smiled broadly as he picked up the stray thought.
“Aye we are Charles, this isn’t for tea. That’s Henry and Robbie’s turn tonight…I dare say pizza from in the town aye?” She smiled. “I may be a bloody good geneticist but I’m a better mother…even if I am rubbish at the cake making. That’s why Rahne is helping me isn’t it?”
Rahne giggled and nodded. “Ma’s making a double helix biscuit too so she can feel like she’s done some bloody work today,” she smiled up at Moira to show that she had been paying attention. Moira couldn’t help but laughing.
“What has the rest of yuir day got in store for you Charles? If yuir not too busy I had the latest data from Kevin faxed over this morning and was wondering if you could give it a fresh eye.”
Charles nodded. He motioned for Rahne to slide the small bowl that she was stirring towards him. She did so allowing him to run his index finger around the upper rim tasting the cake mixture. His hand quickly darted out and wiped the rest of the cake mixture down the other side of Rahne’s face.
She laughed loudly and went to wipe it away. Charles turned to answer Moira’s question. “All I wanted to do was do this afternoons sweep with Cerebro and then I was going to suggest I could spend the afternoon looking after Rahne so you could do some work but if you would rather…”
“Can he Ma?” Rahne looked up hopefully.
“I dinnae Rahne you’ve got a lot of homework to do,” Moira raised one eyebrow and looked fown the length of her nose at her daughter.
“Yae and Uncle Charles are my teachers,” smiled Rahne.
“Well I think an extension could be in order,” Charles smiled “So what would you like to do?”
Rahne thought for a moment. She had still much of the mansion and its grounds to explore both as a little girl and a wolf but she imagined that her uncle Charles had already explored much of the mansion since he grew up here. “We could play hide and seek!” she yelped, this would be a game they could play and would let her explore a little.
“Well,” Charles thought for a moment. “I can’t see myself climbing into any wardrobes in the near future but…” he smiled for a split second.
Rahne found herself hovering over a large globe. Stars twinkled in the black all around her. “I’ll help your mother finish the cakes and you find somewhere to hide and then I’ll try and find you.”
Rahne laughed and then zoomed forward like she was flying towards the giant globe below her.
The girls body, her eyes closed and a big smile stretching across her face was slumped against Charles’s body in his lap.
“You spoil that girl Charles,” Moira smiled, she realised it was the pot calling the kettle black. She had always doted on the girl.
“What do you expect, her and Kevin are the closest thing I have to children…possibly the only thing I’ll ever have anything like them. If I can’t spoil them what can I do.”
“Dinnae be silly Charles, you’ve got at least 5 children. Scott looks up to you like yae were really his father.” She paused for a moment again and began to open her mouth.
“Yes,” Charles answered having picked up on her thoughts already “I know, I know I should tell him about his father. The history we share but I find it hard to find the right time to broach the subject.” He nodded, Moira returned it.
She then smiled widely. “Y’know what never fails whenever Kevin has…an episode,” Moira cleared her throat afterwards “Whenever y’know what really calms him down. If you talk about that time that you took him for a week to Narnia and a weekend in Middle earth in that afternoon in your mindscape. I think it’s his happiest memory.”
Charles returned the smile. “Ready or not here I come,” he smiled as he spoke and then closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes again a few seconds later and Rahne let out a shriek of laughter. Moira nearly dropped the mixing bowl. Even though she’d mentioned it moments before she forgot how quickly a trip to the mindscape could be. No doubt the two had spent many relative hours taking turns to hide all over the globe.
“Uncle Charles hid on Mars Ma…I told him he was cheating…than we went for a walk across the Milky Way,” she beamed.
“We’ve still got most of the afternoon if there is anything else you want to do? How about the movies…” his face suddenly turned serious and he tilted his head towards the front door. “Rahne I am sorry but I think we may have to call our afternoon to an end.”
“Is everything okay Charles?” Moira asked, concerned. She had seen the expression on Charles face before.
“I’m not sure…my brother Cain has just arrived.”
“Warren inside and bind your wings now…Scott, Rahne, Jean the four of you show no powers until further notice!” he swiftly commanded.
“He doesn’t know that I am a mutant.”
Meanwhile elsewhere, the vast base of The Brotherhood…
The Blob, Fred Dukes terrorist extraordinaire. Fredrick J Dukes (he’ll never tell anyone but the J stands for Jodie…his parents wanted a girl), his powers include ‘enhanced mass and multiple layers of elastic, fatty tissue grant him superhuman strength, are able to absorb all forms of impact and damage, and are flexible enough to hold objects within the folds of his flesh and pop them out when he flexes his muscles. He can also generate gravity fields that hold him firmly in place to make him an immovable object.’ According to one mutant news site but what all of these reports fail to mention are his hypnotic powers, powers Wanda AKA The Scarlet Witch was becoming all too aware.
She watched Fred in her hypnotic trance as he tucked into his third helping of spicy chicken wings. Wanda couldn’t but help stare at the hypnotic quality the fat around his neck had when it jiggled (like Jell-O), one ripple moved into the next and changed direction ever so slightly, if it wasn’t so disgusting it would be beautiful.
Wanda revelled in the beauty of these things. She couldn’t help it, she was the beauty in the world all around her. It was honestly all that had kept her with her father for all these years…that and her brother Pietro. His constant need to please their father.
She sighed slightly and wondered what her ‘uncle’ Charles was up to at the moment and then with a blink tore her eyes away from The Blob as her brother exploded into the room sending all of the papers lying around flying into the air.
“Backs against the wall boys Pietro is here,” Blob grunted with a laugh, the chicken grease dribbled over the third of his many chins.
Pietro turned, his high cheek bones and thin structure the perfect mirror to his sisters. They looked more alike than any male-female twin pair should.
“Blob even if I believed for a second you could get your back to touch the wall through all of that fat…what my rotund tumour of a homo-superior makes you think that I would be interested in you? I prefer my men more like men and less like whales which have been mysteriously discovered at the bottom of a fast food restraint grease trap.”
Blob glared at him for a second through his little piggy eyes, the fat which amazingly nestled in his brow slid forth covering part of his vision. The insult would reach his brain in a second but he was already setting about preparing his face for the indignant scowl. It hit home after a second. “Well…could you be any more gay if you tried?” He snorted and smiled to himself on a well made insult.
“Listen to me you tubby piece of crap. If brains were…”
“I wish you wouldn’t get into arguments with him…or the others. Its just not worth is brother,” Wanda smiled and turned to walk away slowly knowing that her brother would join her rather than standing to hurl abuse at Blob. He preferred his slanging matches to be with people who had enough intelligence to defend themselves. “What have you been up to?”
“I was delivering father’s final instructions on finding the place to that Russian mutant.”
“Interesting?” Wanda asked as the two made their way down the corridor from the room they were in.
“Well Russia is still in need of mechanisation and diversification but other than that you’ve seen one field of crops, one snow field and one mountain you’ve seen them all.”
“Except Wundagore,” Wanda smiled, her brother returned it.
“Yes except Wundagore.”
“Was this new mutant interesting? Should I expect something special?” Wanda was fishing for information. Only her father and brother had any idea who this mutant was.
“Interesting in their own way…backside you can bounce a ruble off. Not really my type though.”
“I fail to ever understand what you’re type is brother,” Wanda shot Pietro a smile.
“Same as yours, slim and male,” he smiled.
“But which category does our newest acquisition fail on?” Wanda raised her eyebrow. Her brother was clearly playing on of his games now. A skill he had gotten from their father, why give an answer when three different riddles mixed with four levels of superiority would do. Pietro tapped the side of his nose, the twins smiled and then Wanda gave her brother a push against the wall.
“Wanda my dear you are looking delightful,” Jason Wyngarde smiled sickeningly from the doorway he had just stepped from behind. He was in his early forties (no matter how he decided to make himself look) but for some reason didn’t think anything wrong with staring at the cleavage of the 18 year old mutant. She tugged her red shirt closed.
Pietro, as ever, was at her side and then in the face of Mastermind in a second. “Wyngarde shouldn’t you be off living in a fantasy world away from the real one in which your life is so unsatisfying?” he spat.
“That insult would burn Quicksilver if not for the fact that you’re in the exact position that I am…and you got there by nepotism. Which is strange given the lack of care your father seems to have for you.” He smiled, that was definitely a victory to him.
Pietro took a swing as Mastermind to find himself sailing through the image. Several more appeared around them. Mastermind had been standing behind leering down Wanda’s top the whole time. He slowly strolled away filling the corridor with images of himself to hide him from any wrath Pietro would try and dish out.
“Ignore him,” Wanda stooped to look her brother in his grey eyes. Mastermind had cut straight to Pietro’s biggest Achilles heel. He desperately wanted the love of their father, hence his burning need to please him at all times but for whatever reason their father seemed incapable of giving it to him. He made it clear how much he loved Wanda but he never gave any praise to Pietro even when Wanda asked him to directly. Pietro nodded and tried to hide his pain (ineffectively).
“Do you ever wonder,” Wanda bit her lip, she had tried to approach this subject before only to be rebuffed by her brother, now seemed it might be the right time. “If what we do with father is the right thing?”
Pietro looked up at her, his face went from hurt to complete stone in a second. “No, father is right. We are homo-superior and we deserve…”
“Homo-Superior. Blob, Mastermind, Toad and Vanisher…not one of them with an ounce of taste, intelligence or common sense. These are the ones he has following him.”
“He has us,” Pietro nodded as if strengthening his own resolve. “The new Russian and the British one he is with now are also true representatives of Homo-Superior.”
“Please you’re just saying that about Chamber because he likes the same rock bands as you do…who I may mention father doesn’t approve of.”
Pietro was silent for a moment. Wanda could tell by his expression that he did question their father but he would not speak up against him. Whether it was through fear or desire for his love, he would remain silent.
“Pietro, if I asked you….you say you love me. If I asked you would you set aside this quest for father’s love and leave the brotherhood?”
“In a second,” he nodded without a thought. Wanda opened her mouth to speak but her brother spoke again “if you love me, you would not ask.”
Wanda was silent.
“This brings us back to my children,” Magneto said with a guiding hand as he appeared at the end of the corridor walking alongside the British mutant who had called himself Chamber. “Pietro why are you on the floor like some pathetic human, stand up proudly.”
Pietro nodded slowly and stood up.
The psionic flame which erupted from Chamber’s chest glowed and roared lighting up the corridor. Their father’s cape billowed behind him.
He looked like a stronger thicker set version of his son Pietro. He had a square jaw and thick set features but is what definitely would be described as a silver fox. The regenerative powers of some mutants he had met over the years making him appear much younger than his years.
“So Chamber will you be joining our Brotherhood?”
“Do I have a choice?” The voice replied from all around them telepathically.
“We all have a choice,” Magneto said slowly. He, even if he had not meant it as such…which he had, made it sound like a threat.
“Well even if I did,” replied Chamber picking up on the threat “I’d be in mate. I’d kept my nose out of all this shit…until my own government hunted me down and sent me across the pond to rot in some prison cell. If that’s what humanity is all about bring on the mutants…let the rest of them burn.”
His flames fired up for a second. It illuminated the happy expression on Magneto’s face. His Brotherhood was falling into place and soon they would be ready to begin the next stages of their plan, finding The Phoenix and then beginning the extermination of human kind.
Xavier Academy…
Scott made his way downstairs and met up with Jean as she walked across the hallway. “Warren?” he asked, his voice took on the commanding tone that it had when he was being Cyclops as opposed to plain old Scott.
“Upstairs binding, you seen anything of this brother yet?” She asked.
Scott shook his head slowly. “I went to the window when The Professor explained everything but just in time to see him vanish through the door. Got a good look at his Hummer though. I don’t think he knocked at all.”
They pushed open the door to the kitchen. The four figures in there turned to look at them. Moira and Rahne were looking sheepish, Rahne more so than her mother but Moira clearly looked very uncomfortable.
The Professor’s eyebrows were arched into angry vees which creased his brow something terrible.
The fourth figure was a mountain of a man. He was over six and a half feet tall, he was wide and muscular and had a thick set jaw which would have put Hank to shame. He had reddish brown hair which was cut short in a crew cut. He wore a plain white shirt which had it’s top buttons buttoned down.
He looked at the teens and then panned down to Charles. “How many more have you got living here?” His voice reverberated around the room, the tone was not friendly in fact it was almost accusatory.
“if you’d called to let me know you were coming I would have explained…”
“Why should I call?” he cut off his younger step-brother as he raised his voice. “This is my house as much as it is yours.”
“Cain this house has been in my family for…”
“Yeah and after your old man snuffed it mine took it over and kept your ma’ out of the poor house…he was it’s rightful owner. It got left to the two of us, I can come home whenever I want…and I don’t expect you to be running some kind of ,” he gestured wildly in the air “whatever the hell this is.”
“It’s a school Cain,” Charles stared up into his brothers eyes which was difficult because of the height difference between the two men with Charles in the chair.
“Well call vacation because I want them out of here, I come home from tour and I don’t want the cast of Saved by the bell running around watching Nicktoons or whatever when I’m trying to relax.” He shrugged “Hey red you the nurse maid around here? Any chance of a coffee?” he winked at Moira.
Jean was picking up waves of emotion from The Professor as his mind raced. Intimidation, fear and just sheer anger were the three strongest which kept hammering against the side of her mind.
“I am most certainly not the nurse maid…Charles?” simply asking his name said so much to The Professor as he read it as a request for instructions on how best to handle this moment.
“Please Moira if you would get him a coffee, I’ll have tea if it’s not too much of an imposition.”
“Professor?” Scott spoke for the first time, this was Scott speaking not Cyclops. There was uncertainty in his voice over what he should be doing if anything.
“Jesus Chuck you’ve got them well trained aint ya? Professor,” he snorted after he said it. “Well slim you best call me Captain Marko,” he grinned which looked more like a sneer.
“I thought you’d been demoted following that incident in Afghanistan three years ago?” It was clear to all involved that The Professor took quite a lot of joy in that comment, it was unusual to see his face smiling in such a sinister way.
“Got Promoted again didn’t I, seven months ago…where was it you made it to when you were in the army cueball?”
“You were in the army Professor?” Jean chimed in, she was trying to keep her tone light and jovial as possible.
“Barely,” Marko snorted. “He went from desk job to desk job to search and rescue, barely saw any action at all…then upped and left when his first tour was up.”
“We had the misfortune of being stationed together for the last 6months, I decided my future didn’t lie in the army after that.” Cain snorted again when the Professor finished speaking.
The swing door to the kitchen swung inwards again as a uncomfortable looking Warren walked in. His injured wing being bound was obviously causing him pain. “Jesus H Christ! Another one! Nice to meet you all now ring your parents and have them come for you because you’re out of here.”
“I don’t think that will be happening Cain,” The Professor spoke with a calm voice.
“Like hell it wont, this is my house and I say…”
“This is also a registered private school for 6 students, any disruption to the education I am contractually obliged to give them would result in a breach of contract and at least one hefty law suit from Warren’s father…who may I add can afford the best lawyers and wouldn’t lose. If these students are forced to leave this school it would bankrupt me and seeing as I’ve been paying for this house for the past decade you’ve been serving in the military this house would go with it.”
Cain glared at him, his nose wrinkled and then turned to look at the other faces in the kitchen. “Okay don’t blow a gasket wheels, I’ll be up in my room…that’s still there it hasn’t been turned into a gym or anything?”
“No, it’s exactly as you’ve left it…I made sure not to have it cleaned in the past decade,” Charles smiled. Cain paused for a second with a grimace on his face.
Cain turned and walked towards the three teen X-Men. He fixed each of them with a stare for a second or two and then puckered his lips to Jean before snorting and walking past them.
He walked out into the hall. A snowball impacted on the floor and skidded to his foot. He slowly panned his vision from the snowball up to the two teens who had walked through the front door a moment earlier.
One tubby one seemed to be doing a handstand while some snot nosed punk seemed frozen in position from where he had thrown the snowball, probably at the other one Cain reasoned…so no need to pound the little snot.
“Uh Snow cone,” offered the teen, panic stretched across his face. Cain sighed and began to make his way up the stairs.
Hank and Bobby quickly made their way through the swinging door into the kitchen area.
“Charles what was all that about? I’ve never seen you behave in such a way,” Moira sounded half shocked and half scornful.
“I know and I’m sorry, my brother and I have…problems,” Charles closed his eyes and sighed heavily. “I should know better but..”
“Yes you should,” Moira sounded like a scornful mother. “Lord knows he does seem like a prize arse but no matter…Oh god Charles,” her hand moved to her mouth quickly. Jean recognised what had happened instantly picking up on some special telepathic wave which had passed between the two.
Jean looked to Moira, she was expecting to get some residual thoughts but all she got was the feeling of The Professor like he was forming some sort of defence around Moira. She panned her eyes to The Professor only to find his eyes already fixed on her, the warning was clear.
“What the hell is going on? Who was that guy…you have a brother?” Bobby queried in quick succession.
“Cain will be staying with us for the moment, no powers are to be used while he is on the property…think of it as a test if needs be, getting by without them.”
Elsewhere…
The dock sunk about a foot spilling some water across it as the figure stepped off of the boat (which instantly rose a little).
He was close to eight feet tall. The sun glinted of his round helmet which honestly made him look a little bit like a missile.
He was built like The Great Wall of China…which ironically had been partially created to act as a defence against his predecessor.
He closed his eyes and turned his head homing in on the target that he wanted. He began to walk.
The unstoppable force was on the move.
The Xavier Academy, that night…
Moira walked down the corridor which connected her room with Charles. She had just checked in on Warren who was now stretching his wings in the privacy of his own room and Rahne who was sound asleep, her leg twitching and her lip raised in a mini growl as she slept.
Moira had walked this route many times since she had begun to stay at the mansion. She would sit up well past her bedtime talking to her closest friend.
Tonight however something was different, with the inclusion of Cain to their household things were different.
She paused for a moment outside his open door. He stood in his underwear at the open window, it’s curtains blowing in towards him. In his hand he held something, it was about half the size of his hand and was a dark red. It seemed to glow in the light of the moon.
“Either come in, shut the door and we can have some fun…or keep walking to see Chuck and have a disappointing night,” this was the first she realised Cain was aware of her. She cleared her throat and carried on rapping on Charles’ door.
“Come in,” he called and Moira did so closing the door behind her.
“Moira, before you start I know…I know fine and well. What I did…today and back then was unacceptable.”
“Charles after what that man put you through…both of you…I just don’t know how you and Cain can be at each others throats. Such a…”
“Moira,” Charles sighed. “I’ve been through it all a thousand times in my head, no matter what I try Cain and I will always clash. The past we have, isn’t easily forgotten.”
“But Charles,” Moira began.
“Enough!” He snapped and then took a deep breath, apologising telepathically, “I cut him the slack I can. He’s AWOL…I’m sure of it, I wont pry further into his mind but he’s definitely running from something…He wont be here long before he has to move on.”
“AWOL and on the run? Charles I know you try to respect peoples privacy but we have children here. If Cain could in some way be a danger…”
“I will not go into his mind Moira, I did that enough when we were growing up…I…”
“What is it Charles?”
“His father…the things he did to us. Cain fought back one day, I was scared and lashed out at his father. I didn’t mean to but I shut his mind down completely…I killed him. Then I erased Cain’s memories.”
To Be Continued…