"'Every effort is made to provide each student with his or her own living quarters. As it is understood that this is where you'll be spending a good portion of your down time feel free to furnish and decorate your rooms to suit your individual tastes and preferences.'" Alex read from the booklet Jean had given them, titled "The New Student's Survival Guide to the Mansion". Along with a map (including large portions simply labeled "off-limits") Jean said it had information that might help them know what to expect.
"Cool." Nic lay back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. "I think I'll paint the walls black."
"Not as long as you're sharing a room with me, you won't." Though the mansion had plenty of space, Jan had said it was traditional for students to share rooms, as it was "a good experience" to live with a roommate. Since the room Nic and Alex were given was about twice as big as the largest bedroom they'd ever seen, there were no protests. Though Scott said the men's and woman's dormitories were usually separate, they'd allowed Sara to have the room next to Nic and Alex. Jean said they'd recently moved the younger students to a new location. There was no reason older students needed to be separated by sex, since at their age what they did was their own business, not the school's.
Sara sat next to Alex on his bed, reading over his shoulder. The room was furnished only with a bed, dresser, desk and bookshelf each for two students. Jean said there was a storage area of the mansion which had more furniture, and once they were settled in they were welcome to go down there and pick stuff out. But for now, the best place to sit was the beds.
"What's that part - Danger Room? Go back." Sara stopped Alex as he flipped through the pages.
"'Jousting with Cosair and the Starjammers, outfoxing Nimrod Sentinels across a post-apocalyptic landscape, or combatting any number of threats limited only by your imagination, it is easy to forget the reason this place is called the Danger Room. Students are nonetheless encouraged to employ the holographic technology as skill levels dictate.
"'The Danger Room World View Library can be used for basic gymnastic workouts which include no holographic display (primary level Alpha 1). This is the most basic program, designed with beginners in mind. There are over 120 levels of increasing difficulty in the Danger Room computers. The hologram library files begin on level 21 Beta.'"
"'Danger Room?' 'Survival Guide?' Oh, I feel real safe." Nic sat up. "Alex, you got a smoke?" Alex tossed him a pack of cigarettes, and Nic lit one up.
"Lighten up, Nic. At least they seem to have a sense of humor," replied Sara. "Besides, the Danger Room sounds like fun. Sort of like the holodeck on Star Trek. What else is around here, Alex."
"Hmm, let's see, 'Code of Ethics,'"
"Skip that," said Nic, taking a drag off his cigarette.
"It's mostly just genetic harmony, and 'protect other beings' stuff anyways." Alex flipped through the pages. "Wow, they have an air-"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..." An ear-piercing alarm tone began sounding.
"What the hell?" Nic exclaimed.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
"What'd you break, Nic?" Alex asked. "...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
"WHAT?"
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
"WHAT'D YOU DO?"
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
"NOTHING! I DIDN'T... Shit!" Nic stuck his cigarette between his lips and began searching for the source of the noise. He hit a panel on the wall and a cabinet opened, revealing a computer terminal.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
TOBACCO SMOKE HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THIS ROOM. THE INTERIOR OF THE MANSION HAS BEEN DECLARED A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE EXTINGUISH YOUR CIGARETTE IMMEDIATELY.
"No way! Fuck that!" Nic blew cigarette smoke at the screen.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..." The alarm increased slightly in pitch.
"PUT IT OUT, NIC!" Sara yelled.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
Alex snatched the cigarette from Nic's mouth, dropped it on the linoleum floor, and ground it out.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
Sara found a switch labeled "FAN" and turned it on.
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-" The alarm cut off as the smoke cleared. The sudden silence found Nic glaring at Alex defiantly.
"Alex-"
"Shut up, Nic. I'm sick of your shit. We just got here and you've already insulted the founder of the school-"
"I didn't-"
"Yes, you did, and then you refused to follow their rules by blowing smoke-"
"Come on, Alex, it's a stupid rule." "Stupid or not, it's their rules, and we've got to follow them if we want to stay here."
Nic glowered at Alex for a moment, arms crossed. Alex stared right back.
"Fuck it. I'm not staying here." Nic brushed past Alex and grabbed his backpack from the bed.
"Where are you going to go?" asked Sara.
"Somewhere that people aren't telling me what to do and how to act." Nic strode back past Alex, yanked the door open... and collided with the very large, muscular man covered in blue fur who stood in the doorway.
"Ah, you must be one of our new... students," the man said as Nic pushed (well, squeezed) his way out the door. "Departing so soon?"
"Yes," retorted Nic without looking back. The man looked toward Alex and Sara in confusion.
Alex threw up his hands. "I give up. He's on his own."
"I heard the alarm of my tobacco-sensor, and thought perhaps you had not been advised of certain ordinances which have recently been enacted. Admittedly it can be a bit unnerving, but I did need a method to apprehend Gambit..." His voice trailed off as Alex and Sara stared at him.
"Perhaps we should begin with introductions. I am Dr. Henry McCoy, though I generally answer to the sobriquet 'Hank', or 'Beast'. I presume you are Sara... ?"
She nodded.
"Then you are... "
"I'm Alex. That... that was Nic who just left." Alex sighed.
Nicoli-, came a mental voice. Professor Xavier.
"Don't call me that!" And stay out of my head! Nic snapped.
Nic, we need to talk.
"Talk then."
"All right." Nic jumped. He hadn't heard the Professor come up behind him- no wonder, since his wheelchair was gone. Now the Professor hovered a few inches above ground in a yellow wheelchair-shaped contraption.
"Follow me, Nic. There is something I would like to show you." The Professor glided ahead, and a panel in the wall opened up, revealing a small room. Nic stepped in, hesitantly, and realized he was in an elevator. The door slid shut, and the elevator dropped. In only a couple of seconds the elevator stopped, and the door slid open.
"Where are we going?" Nic asked, holding back as the Professor glided forward.
"You will see."
Nic hesitated, then decided he might as well find out what Xavier wanted to show him. At least he couldn't get any more lost.
The Professor led him through another sliding door, and into a room full of television screens and computer equipment. Several different news shows were playing on different screens, but no sound came from any of the speakers. A large black man in a blue and yellow uniform with a red handkerchief tied around his neck stood at a console, hands on the desk, watching a screen that showed part of what appeared to be the exterior of the mansion. Another man, in a long brown trenchcoat leaned against a different desk, watching a news program and fidgeting with an unlit cigarette.
"Gambit, Bishop. Please leave us," said the Professor.
Gambit, Bishop... "You're the X-Men," Nic blurted out. Both men turned to look at him. The black man had an "M" tattooed over his right eye, and Nic realized he was the security man they'd talked to at the gate.
"Da kid's quick," smirked the man in the trenchcoat. The security guard leaned over and picked up a huge rifle. Nic's heart stopped for a second, but the man simply slung the strap over his shoulder, and walked out of the room. The other man stuck his cigarette in his mouth, and his hands in his pockets and followed the other man out of the room.
"He did have a gun," muttered Nic to himself. The Professor typed on a keyboard, and the screen in front of him changed to a still photograph of a young, long-haired Hispanic woman in a business suit.
"Do you know who she is?" he asked Nic, pointing to the screen. Nic looked at the image for a moment. She did seem familiar but... he shook his head no.
"Her name is Helena Martinez. Your friend Alex would know her, as she is the one who suggested he bring you here. She told me you were coming, and sent me a great deal of information on the three of you. She works with an operation I call the 'mutant underground'. We have the X-Men and other superhero groups in the media spotlight, but there is also important work that needs to be done quietly. That is where the underground comes in. Currently Helena is investigating a terrorist anti-mutant group we think is an extremist off-shoot of the Friends of Humanity." He entered something on the keyboard and the screen changed. Now it showed a T.V. news shot of a burning house - the safehouse where Nic had lived. Nic winced at the memories the image brought up, and turned away from the screen.
"We believe that this fire, and other recent terrorist activities in Southern California were acts of this group."
"So why don't you just - blast them - or something?" Nic burst out. "If you know who they are-"
"It's not that simple," replied the Professor. "We haven't been able to catch them red-handed yet. They're human, with no superpowers, or augmented abilities. If we flew in and 'blasted' them it would prove their point and give people more reasons to fear mutants. What Helena and her people are doing will be more effective in the long run. The details aren't important right now, but they are working to stop groups like this, and find ways to offer support to mutants that need help. She met Alex when she contacted your safehouse to find ways they could work together."
"So... what do you want from us? You want us to spy for you or something?"
"No. Right now all I want from you is for all three of you to learn to control your powers, and get an education. Later... there will be opportunities for you to help other mutants."
"I'm not going to be one of your superheros," Nic said flatly.
"No," replied the Professor. "Your talents would be a liability in combat. But there are many other ways you could help - but not when you are an untrained high school dropout with no control over his powers." Nic flinched.
"How'd you know - I mean I didn't even tell Alex-," Nic began. The Professor typed on his keyboard and a text file scrolled across the screen.
"I told you Helena sent me information on you. I supplemented the material she sent me by running a check through the computers. I have everything from your high school transcript to the FBI file on you. Yes," the Professor continued as Nic looked at him in shock. "You are registered as a mutant telepath. The government tries to keeps close track of people like us."
"What if I stay here, and get a degree, and then decide I just want to be an accountant or something. That I don't want to work for you. Then what?"
"I will never force you to work for me. If you decide you want nothing to do with us, than that is your choice. However, I must point out that we need all the help we can get to prevent events like that fire from happening to other young mutants. "
Nic winced. "That's a cheap shot."
"Yes, it is," agreed the Professor. "But it's your choice. You can leave now, and your power could drive you insane. Or you can stay here. I will teach you how to control your power, and you will get the kind of education that will give you a chance to make a difference. And you might decide you can do that by working as a lawyer, or running for office, or find some other way to make your contribution. I will not tell you how to lead your life. I will just give you options."
"What about Sara and Alex?" Nic asked.
"They may have different options, but they'll both have the freedom to choose their own path."
Nic looked around the room, at the various screens and the images they showed. He thought about the safehouse, and the children there, and Kevin.
"Okay, I'll stick around for now, and see what it's like. As long as I can leave whenever I want." he added.
"Excellent." The Professor offered his hand, and Nic shook it self-consciously. "Welcome to Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning."