Wolverine sat to the side of the classroom, his legs crossed cowboy-style, a beat-up hat over his eyes. He didn't look like a teacher; he didn't want to. He wanted to look... well... like himself - normal.
He figured these kids deserved all the normality they could get.
Mutsumi was the first to enter; Logan raised an eyebrow at this. The team was already a family of sorts, as the horrors of their confinement bound each other together. Mutsumi took on the role of mother to the group, her eyes bright and shining, but searching. Ranma might be the natural leader, but Mutsumi's role as nurturer might prove more important.
Millia came next, long blonde hair perfectly coiffed. Logan could see the fury behind her eyes; he thought for a moment of Marrow as he saw her face. She would be trouble... enough for Mutsumi or Ranma to handle, yes, but still trouble.
Lain and Shinobu were the innocents of the group. Correction: Lain was an innocent. Shinobu had the look he'd seen on too many soldiers after their first kill. Their childhoods hadn't quite died yet... but it was getting close.
Fuujin wandered in after that, and Logan's eyes shot open. She looked disturbingly familiar... He strained his brain to remember some of the people he'd faced off with while a guest of clan Yashida, but came up blank. At any rate, despite the cast she wore and her youthful face, Fuujin walked like a soldier - like someone who'd done their duty for Emperor or Daimyo. She positively radiated shadow.
And then... came Ranma. If Fuujin was shadow, Ranma was light. Logan idly wondered what Cyke had been like as a kid, then dismissed it; this kid would have made a young Scott Summers look pathetic. Ranma not only looked like the sort of person you'd want leading your team through hell, but had that steely glint to his eyes that said he'd been there. Not quite like Fuujin; Ranma had too much fire in him to have been a soldier. However, this kid had a lot more - and Logan suspected that the telepaths in the room already knew.
quite likely, mr. logan a voice spoke to him from inside his head, and he grimaced. Figured Mutsumi would be a telepath...
"Thank you, everyone, for joining us this morning," the Professor began as he rolled his way toward the front of the room. "No doubt you have many concerns; we'd like to answer them, if we can."
Three hands raised immediately: Ranma's, Mutsumi's, and Fuujin's. Xavier acknowledged Fuujin first, and Logan smiled; this might be interesting.
"When can we go home?" For one of the very few times in his life, Logan wished he was a telepath, just to know what was in Fuujin's head.
Xavier frowned. "That... is a difficult question. I have located each of your places of residence and closest relatives, and plan on arranging contact with them as soon as possible." Xavier's hands steepled in front of his face, and Logan frowned; he always did that whenever he had to break bad news. "But going home... may prove more difficult."
"Why?" Fuujin retorted. Lain and Shinobu looked ready to cry, and Millia ready to break something.
"What do you remember of your kidnapping, Fuujin-san?" Ranma's voice was deathly quiet, his face set in stone. Logan smiled, both at him and Mutsumi; they had no illusions.
Fuujin snarled. "No-nothing. One night, I went to bed, the next morning I found myself in chains."
Ranma's voice came out like the whistling of the breeze. "What's to stop it from happening again?"
Fuujin opened her mouth, then closed it. Horror washed over the eyes of those that hadn't already figured it out.
Xavier nodded. "That is true... but only part of what's going on." He shook his head. "Sinister... had help from the Japanese government. I'm not sure how he got it - we are researching that at this moment - but the why of the matter isn't important. What is important is that you will not be safe if you return, because your own government will have authorized your kidnapping."
Shinobu was sobbing into Mustumi's shoulder; Millia had carved a groove in her chair out of frustration. Lain quietly stared ahead, without any real emotion to her face.
Shinobu muttered something incoherent; Mutsumi ran her fingers through Shinobu's hair. "She's wondering if she could at least visit our old friends. To be honest, I wonder that myself; there are some people we'd like to go see..."
Xavier nodded. "If done carefully... yes, we could arrange that. It will take a few weeks, but we can do that, at least." He coughed once. "Besides that, we would like to make an offer to all of you."
"An offer?" Ranma eyed the Professor warily. "What sort of offer?"
Xavier sighed. "As you may know, this is an institute for higher learning. A couple hundred miles north in Snow Valley is our school for gifted youngsters; there, other mutants like yourselves learn traditional subjects that you normally find in school, advanced studies in such fields as medicine, genetics, and bioengineering, should you choose to go that far, and training in how to effectively use your abilities."
"How much does it cost?" Ranma replied. Logan chuckled, and wondered who the swindler in his life had been.
Xavier smiled. "Nothing. And before you ask, no, you're not required to become an "X-man", not unless you wish to be." A dark look settled over Xavier's features; Logan wondered if the Professor was thinking about John, Doug, or Everett. Probably all three. "Our ultimate goal is to promote a world in which humans and mutants co-exist peacefully. Our graduates have joined the Avengers, become leaders in business and commerce, written ground-breaking scientific papers, and recorded platinum-selling albums. We want you, as part of the next generation of mutants, to help make this world a better place for everyone." He held up a hand to quash any comments. "We don't want an answer right now. Just take the information and think about it over the next few days."
Mutsumi raised a hand. "This place... it's in Massachusetts, right? Could it be possible to perhaps attend one of the colleges in Boston?"
Xavier chuckled. "Yes, I think we could arrange something there. We keep relationships with several of the schools in that area, including MIT and Harvard; considering your abilities, I don't see any problem with you gaining acceptance in one of those schools, should you desire."
Millia raised her hair into the form of a hand. "So what happens now?"
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Good question..."
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(Posted Wed, 30 Oct 2002 07:33)
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