X-Men/X-Changed, Issue1: Trial By Fire

[Mimic]

"Mutants," Shar says simply. "Like you, me, him, her... like the Avengers. Captain America without the good PR, but not quite as bad a rep as Spiderman. Give it time and a few more days like today though," she says with a sharp look at Charles. "I really would have loved a warning if you knew what was going to happen."

So we get to kick ass and take names? He says looking at the woman. That's cool, I can get into that.

Brian thinks for a moment. What I really want to know is why us? None of us, except for her, he says geturing towards shar, seems that particularly adept at fighting.

I'm Brian by the way.

 

[Dark Nemesis]

Angela sat quietly in her chair, glancing at each of the others as they spoke. She was a small woman, with a pale complexion, though she did not look nearly as unhealthy as Alicia. She was dressed in a simple white practice uniform. An eerie flame flickered around her eyes, though after a few moments, she remembered that it was there. She closed her eyes in concentration, and the flame vanished.

She bit her lower lip as Shar spoke, before looking to Frank. “There were mutants after you?” she asked quietly.

She raised her eyebrows slightly at Brian’s words. ‘Kick ass and take names?’ She did not see herself as the fighting type. In fact, the idea of getting into any sort of conflict made her feel jittery inside. She crossed her arms over her chest, a nervous look upon her face as she awaited the Professor’s reply.

 

[Hellzon]

Data

She bit her lower lip as Shar spoke, before looking to Frank. “There were mutants after you?” she asked quietly.

"Yeah. They tried to recruit me to their organisation of mutant vigilantes. Turns out I wound up in another one," Frank answers. "Though you guys seem a lot more decent than them. No kidnapping, bike tossing or anything."
"As for kicking ass and taking names, I have to agree with Brian. Not really my specialty," he finishes, waiting for Xavier to fill the gang in on that one and trying not to wince as the - by now probably huge - bruise on his chest reminds him of exactly how unspecialised he is at it.

 

[Radiant]

-the New X-Men
17:31
Westchester, New York
The Xavier Institute of Higher Learning at Graymalkin Lake

Finally a happy surprise. Frank seems to gather himself slightly, resisting the urge to uplink with all the consoles at once - especially the one overlooking the plane. "Why, thanks, Mr. Xavier."

While cheking over the monitors Frank can just make out the edges of second plane in the same hangar. Even this seeing only parts of it the damage can be seen pretty clear. Obviously the thing took an emergency landing not so long ago. Both jets are exactly the same design and somehow the engines remind you of the one's on the fantastic car of the FF you saw on TV a few times.

As the floor comes to a stop, he looks around at all the screens and consules. "OK, I'm impressed but what exactly is a X-men?" Brian says turning his full attention to the man in the wheelchair.

Xavier nods to Brian.
"Sorry this will all be a little confusing for now. But as Sharon said the X-Men are basically superheroes. The whole purpose is to show the general populace that mutant powers can be used for good and increase the acceptance of our kind. Sadly they also spend a lot of their time stoping mutant terrorists who want to provoke a war between the two species.
That is not the only purpose of this school though. The main goal is to give young mutants a safe place to learn control of their powers. Not all of them join the X-Men."

Her malnourished body shook uncontrollable at the cold reality of her thoughts while her dark green eyes meekly looked upon those around her. They where talking about important stuff, she could tell by their body language but she hadn’t really been paying them any attention as her mind tried to contemplate upon what had happened to her…

A calming voice speaks in the back of Alicia’s mind. It is hard to realize if someone is actually saying those words or if she’s just imagining them.
Do not worry, you’re safe here. I shouldn’t even have brought you to this discussion. Don’t concern yourself with it. Sharon found you running on the street, we just want to help you here.

"While I know I should appreciate the dramatics, I think you could do better than 'Welcome to the X-Men', Charles," she says, looking behind herself at Xavier without turning around. "Why were those mutants after Frank? And where is the blue chick who tried to shoot me in the head? Alive I hope, because I didn't keep her out of human hands just for her to die here. I'd rather like to chat with her," she says flatly.

"Sorry to say it but I have no idea why those mutants are after Frank. I do know who they are however. The women you brought to us is Mystique the current leader of the brotherhood. I hoped we wouldn't here from them again. And believe me I have a lot of questions for her too. Especially why she and her friends tried to recruit Frank. We took care of her wounds, she'll recover soon. By the way you do look as if you should visit the infirmary yourself."

"Oh, and Scott, I hear you have some new bikes?" she says with a gleam in her eye. "Which is good, 'cause something seems to have happened to mine."

Scott nearly drops dead in shok at the mere thought of giving one of his bikes away. No surprise in that for Shar. What is surprising is that after the first moments he doesn’t even seem to care anyome.
”Sure, about time you started to use a decent ride.”
To everyone else he just looks unreadable but there’s no hiding from Shar’s senses and you can see he barely keeps his emotions under control. He’s worried about something, and more than you ever saw before.

 

[Hellzon]

Data

TWO jets!? This is getting weirder and weirder.

 

[Calinon]

Shar looks at her bloodstained clothes and the few scrapes and bruises she has and sighs.

"I think it's mostly that woman's blood; Mystique you said? But I guess you're right," she says, sounding very tired. "Get checked out and then a bath," she adds, frowning at the dried blood stains on her hand and running her other hand through her tangled hair without effect.

"Come on, Scott," Shar says, trying to sound cheerful but figuring she failed on that one. She resorts to grabbing his hand to drag him off with her. "Let the professor talk to the new kids and you can make sure I don't faint on the way to the infirmary or something."

If he's willing to come, great. If not, Shar will drag him! And once on the way...

"Soooo," Shar drawls out, leaving a long pause to see if Cyclops wants to talk.

 

[Keia]

Brandon Laine (Phoenix)

Brandon listened to the others as they were introduced, their issues, and the professor explanations all in good humor. He was somewhat disappointed that he didn't get into the tussle with the other mutants that were attacking Frank, though Brandons didn't doubt that they would have some serious opportunity to deal with threats like that in the future.

Brandon kept himself calm, thereby keeping the only thing on fire limited to his eyes. Brandon looked to the professor, "So, this was like a recruitment drive, or something. I mean, I'm alright with that. I was just wondering if we were recruited to be these x-men or just be students."

"Also, . . . any chance we get to meet any of these other X-men. I'm hoping that they're not all like Mr. Summers." If they were all hard cases like Scott, Brandon wasn't certain he was interested in a team so high strung.

 

[Mimic]

Shadow

Flame boy is right, why do I get the feeling that there is more to this then what you've said. Brian says as he leans back in his chair.

I can't see you going through all this if we are just to be students, so that means you want something from us. Why don't you just tells us what it is and get it out of the way. Brian leans forward bring the two front legs of the chair back to the floor with a small bang, punctuating his last statement.

Personally I don't care, I got nothing to go back to so its either this or another 'reform' school and somehow I don't think I would go over well there.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Psyche: Human/Female (PL5)

Alicia looks upon the bald older man, though she not sure how she knows Alicia has little doubt that it’s Charles’ voice inside her head, I know, you’re just trying to protect me but I’m here and having heard the discussion so I’m going to worry about it.

Alicia’s auburn hair shifts as she moves uncomfortably before speaking to the group, “I don’t see the need for Charles to tell us everything… To be honest if the positions where reversed I’m not sure how much I would tell someone like me… I mean a homeless girl who’s been kick out of college isn’t someone I would put much faith in.”

 

[Radiant]

-the New X-Men
17:32
Westchester, New York
The Xavier Institute of Higher Learning at Graymalkin Lake

Even Professor X himself finds it quite a challnge to keep track of all the questions but he tries his best, looking at each of you in turn.
"You're right, I need something of you. And you had to know these things to have a chance to understand what it is. All of you are invited to join the school as students, or join the X-Men if you wish but it's nothing expected. But under normal circumstances we would have taken this a lot slower. The point is that I need your help.
The X-Men, my students, have vanished."
He takes a short break as Shar and Scott leave the room.
"We use a computer interface named Cerebro to detect mutants and a few days ago we found one that was more powerfull than any single one we met before on the island of Krakoa. The team left immediatly to find out more. But only Scott returned and he is without any memory of what happened to him or his friends.
Strangely I can not make telepathic contact but I can feel that they are still alive."

"Also, . . . any chance we get to meet any of these other X-men."

"I can only hope so. The reason I have called you is simply that you are the only available candidates to save them. The Avengers are not available and even if it would be different we can not be sure if they would help us. I put more trust in the friendship of the Fantastic Four but they are of to some deep space project they have develeped. They allways seem to be..."
He sighs, clearly not happy with the whole situation.
"Even if you are inexperienced every single one of you has an alpha level X-gene with powers far above the average mutant and nearly limitless potential. Still I would not ask you. But there just is no one else."

-Shar, Cyclops
17:32
Westchester, New York
The Xavier Institute of Higher Learning at Graymalkin Lake, the workshop

"Soooo," Shar drawls out, leaving a long pause to see if Cyclops wants to talk.

Scott holds his silemce for a few seconds bit finally gives a resigned sigh.
"It's Jean. I have no idea what happened to her. I was with them on the mission damn it and I can't remember a thing. Just how I crash landed the strato jet in hangar. I lead them Shar and if anything happened to them it's my fault! And now the Prof wants me to take more people with me. What if we fail again? I wanted to go alone but he just won't let me."
Cylops is more led than he walks himself but he grows more active once you reach the workshop. You see no less than five bikes in various states of repair and three finished ones. He looks on them in silence for a minute before he grabs a pair of keys.
"I'd give you a harley but apart from style it just hasn't much to offer in the situations you tend to get in."
Drawing back a blanket he reveals a sleep white racing machine that just screams speed and smiles softly.
"It was a Honda before we started working on it. Don't know what it's now but Hank just called it the Suicide cause none of us can drive it. The street looks like the thinest line in the world once it accelerates. You should try, with your senses you see a lot more than we do and your balance is wihout equal. If anyone can drive this devil it's you."