Charles Xavier, leader and head of the group of mutants known to the world as the X-Men, as well as the headmaster of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, sat at his desk and pondered. This is a touchy situation, he mused, with a wry mental chuckle. To be honest, the touchiest portion will be breaking the news to Kurt and Rouge. How will they take the fact that Ranma is their brother?
He absently drummed his fingers as he continued his silent debate. But I shouldn't discount the reaction of the others, he decided. Scott will be distrustful of anyone new; the person in question being the child of Mystique and Logan will make him fairly annoying. Jean will watch, but she will be more open and friendly. Kitty... um, yeah... The professor sweat-dropped. The younger ones should not be too big of a problem.
With that, he sent out the mental call. }ATTENTION, EVERYONE!{ his telepathic call rang out to the minds of the population of the mansion. }I have an announcement for everyone. If you would please come to my study, I will tell you all when everyone arrives.{
Within ten minutes, the room was crowded with people. The New Mutants were gathered to one side, chatting quietly. Scot and Jean, as expected, were simply leaning against each other and waiting. The others were scattered around the room. Once Hank had ambled in, a beaker of dark substance in one hand, Charles cleared his throat and steepled his fingers. "Now that you are all here," he began, his voice pitched to a soothing level, "I have an important announcement to make. Within the next few days, Logan will be returning from Japan with a new student."
He paused for a moment, allowing the buzz of excited conversation to lessen before he proceeded. "The young mutant's name is Ranma Saotome." This caused Berserk and Spike to suddenly cheer. "Something to tell us, gentlemen?" he inquired of them.
The young energy-manipulator nodded quickly. "He...ck yeah, Prof," he sputtered out, then brought himself under control. "This Ranma dude is like a real-life martial arts god or somethin'. He can pick up skillz as if they're written out just for him." He pumped his arm. "I based my blast-beam off something he calls a 'Fierce Tiger Shot'."
The young skateboarder bobbed his head as well. "The guy has some wicked balance," he added. "I've seen some stop-action pictures of him that were just so unbelievable. The mag's maker insists that this Ranma dude can stand on chain-link or pause on the side of a tree trunk." The young darkskinned man started to quiver. "Think of the skills he can teach us."
Scott blinked. "Is he a reality-manipulator, Professor?" he asked. "Like Wanda?"
The Professor sighed. "Not as such," he admitted. The bald man raised his hand, before the others could erupt into an argument. "The abilities that our two obvious fans," he stated with a small smile to soften the statement, "are so enamored of are solely from training, before his mutant ability manifested."
There was a deafening silence for several moments, before the pair of Ranma's fans whistled in perfect unison. "So he can do all that sh....stuff." Berserk gasped, Spike slowly shaking his head in surprise.
Before the meeting could be co-opted again, Charles cleared his throat. "To continue," he growled, "this young man has the ability of perfect Mimicry." To this, Rouge gasped. "Yes, he can duplicate the shape of anyone, like Mystique can; however, unlike her, he can also pick up a mutant's skills as well. Much like Rouge can."
The silence held for about a half-heartbeat. The silence was broken by Beast, when he began to choke. After a moment, the bulky, blue-furred man set the nearly-empty beaker to one side and waived a hand. "Soda went down the wrong pipe," he clarified. After calming himself, he stated his question. "Professor, why does this fill me with a sense of dread?"
Charles smirked slightly. "I know what you mean," he soothed. "It is an absolute power. If it were most anyone else, I would be afraid as well." The bald man placed his hands palm-up on the desk. "However, this young man is inherently good. In his life, he has faced many tests of morality about his skills; to his credit, he might have faltered, but he has never truly fallen. I must believe that he will be able to stay the course."
"You can't scan him, can you, sir?" Jean asked him.
"No," he admitted. "When his ability manifested, his mind went from being totally open to shielded even better than my own...."
Ororo gasped. "Were his p...parents both mutants?" she stuttered.
Charles grinned. "Yes, they are." As the African woman began to sway, he decided to just get the whole thing into the open. He turned to Kurt and Rouge. "Treat your brother well."
The pair stiffened. Kurt, who was normally fairly good-natured, recovered first. The young teleporter grinned and pumped an arm in the air. "Vunderbar!" he crowed. "I get more siblings!"
The redhead Goth groaned. "Another of Mystique's git, jes' what Ah need." She glanced at her adoptive brother. "Even you-all get on mah nerves once in a while."
Kurt wilted. "But, schwester," he whined, "I was hoping we could, how is it, become closer."
Xavier chuckled, then cut in. "Then hang around Logan. He's Ranma's father."
The residents of Westchester were surprised when the normal quiet was broken by a sourceless cry of "SAY WHAT?!!?"
One little old lady looked over to her seat-mate on the bus. "It's those kids on the ol' Xavier property again."
The second crone bobbed her head. "Lucky thing my batteries died last night," she agreed.
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(Posted Sun, 10 Oct 2004 20:58)
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