“I think they’re gone.” A girl called Corona said, dropping behind the dead tree she and her three companions were using for shelter.

“I sincerely hope so.” Replied Shockwave, a boy not much older than she. “I’m cold and tired of running.”

“We all are.” Added a second boy, called ShadowKnight.

“But it’ll all be worth it, We’ll finally be free.” Shockwave stood up and gazed out into the white haze. He felt his tense nerves calm, hoping that anything else in the blizzard had just as hard a time seeing him as he did them.

“Anything?” Corona asked.

“Nada.”

.She and ShadowKnight let out a long breath. Glancing at the fourth number of their ragtag band, an older boy called Blowtorch, she put her cold hand on his face. “Any better?”

Blowtorch shook his head, his breath ragged as he pressed the soaked rag into the wound on his ribs. “D-damn mutate....gotta....use a weapon.” He teeth chattered, and his lips were turning blue.

Corona put her arms around Blowtorch’s shoulders and pulled him close/ “When we get outta here, we’ll get you to a doctor, I promise.” Blowtorch’s seething breath slowed and his eyelids began to droop. Corona gasped and concentrated and a small orb of heat radiated from her body, covering her and Blowtorch. “We don’t have much time.”

Shockwave lifted himself out of the tree and took a few steps into the woods. He heard the sound of falling snow and the whistle of the winds. He shivered and the hairs on the back of his neck stiffened, but he doubted it was from the temperature. Something inside him felt very wrong.

A ball of ultra-condensed gravity engulfed his left fist, his knees began to shake. Gritting his teeth, he spun around and flung the orb. It passed over the stump and into a mass of white haze. “Guys, now!”

Corona, supporting Blowtorch, and ShadowKnight leapt from the tree as a pair of goblinoid mutates burst through the curtain of snow. Snarling and gibbering, drool flying from their fangs, they rushed Shockwave. Another orb of gravity swirled around his fist as he drove his foot into the mutate’s stomach. The best keeled over and Shockwave unleashed the gravity into it. The mutate convulsed and lay still.

The second goblinoid rushed past Shockwave and flung itself at ShadowKnight. He screamed and covered his face, feeling the slight drag as the beast passed through him. Corona reacted faster than the dazed mutate, launching a bolt of flame and incinerating the creature.

Shockwave heard more gibbering and took off, lifting Blowtorch onto his shoulders as he ran by. The four vanished into the storm as another pack of mutates entered what had been their temporary refuge.

A greasy spoon like the ILS 96 Diner saw it’s fair share of weirdoes, and Irma Jana Killian could recall most with rather crystal clarity. there had been the suspicious travelers who spoke practically in riddles and rushed through their food, the all night truckers, even a few possible AWOLs in recent months, but to her nothing was stranger than the group that entered this night.

There were four of them: a girl around 16, and three boys, one obviously older, one younger and one that might have been the same age. All were wearing the same drab gray colored jumpsuits, had the same weird symbols emblazoned into their outfits. She might not have even given them a second look had it not been apparent one of them was injured.

As they set the hurt boy down, he hissed in pain and a red-stained rag fell from his chest. The entire suit was red around the wound. Irma was barely able to hold onto the kettle of coffee she was holding. One of the youths, a rather handsome lad with short cropped black hair, slowly walked up to the counter. “Excuse me, ma’am, but my friend here needs some kind of bandage. Would you happen to have a first aid kit?”

Irma nodded and took the kit out from under the counter. “Here ya go, kid, but it might not all be in order seein as how we don’t get much vis’ters up here.”

The boy slightly bowed to her, much to her surprise. “Any help is appreciated. I thank you.” He took the kit back to the table where the girl was gingerly peeling the jumpsuit from the boy’s torso. The third lad was deathly pale and could not even look at his friend. The boy opened the kit and began to wrap ancient gauze over the wound. Irma couldn’t believe how silent, disciplined, they were. They kept a straight face despite the nature of the situation.

Irma didn’t want to approach them, something about that boy didn’t feel right to her. He was a bit too polite in her opinion, but all the same, they were customers- and only kids to boot- and she wouldn’t ever turn away business.

“Can I get you anything?”

The boy’s eyes darted to the girl, who shook her head at him and shrugged her shoulders. A look of confusion passed over the black-haired boy’s face. “Uh, I suppose...”

“Water...” The injured boy said in a raspy voice. “I...need...water.”

Irma gulped. The boy had a face like death and a voice to match, and they all were obviously very scared of something. “What happened to him?”

Another round of nervous staring. “A...a bear.” The black haired one said. “We were camping out and a bear attacked him.”

Irma knew it was a lie, the boy wasn’t very good. But all the same, she left it alone as she brought a pitcher of water from the counter. The youngest boy had moved over to the door and was staring out the small window into the storm.

“Here ya are.” She said politely, placing the pitcher and four glasses on the table. The black haired boy bowed again and rationed the water out. Irma watched as he and his friend drank theirs, then aided their wounded friend.

“How is he, Corona?” The boy said. Irma figured that was the girl’s name, but it was so very awkward.

“I think the bleeding’s stopped, but he’ll need medical attention eventually.”

The boy nodded. “Very well, we have to move before Mindbender finds us.”

At the name Mindbender, Irma’s body grew cold. Were these kids part of some kind of cult? Had they been abducted and were trying to escape? She hung back at the bar, watching with panic in her chest. The boy looked over at her and she felt the color drain from her face.

“Uh, excuse me, ma’am, but which way to the nearest town?”

.“A-about five miles south along the road.”

“South?”

“Turn left at the door.”

The boy nodded and bowed again. “Thank you, and sorry about the mess.”

“Don’t worry bout it, hon.” She barely choked out.

The girl called Corona and the boy lifted their injured companion between them and headed for the door.

.“Clear, Knight?” The boy said.

Knight nodded. “We shouldn’t travel together, though. He might find us.”

Corona and the boy looked at each other, then at Knight. “But what about Torch?” He said.

“I’ll take him, it’s not far.” Corona said.

“Only stay as long as you must, then run. It’s our best hope. I’ll try to distract them into following me while you get away.”

“But Wave?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not going back there no matter what.”

Corona nodded. She placed her hand on the boy’s cheek and kiss him lightly. “I love you. I’ll miss you. Please remember me.”

“We’ll meet again, I promise.” Wave said. “In six months, if we’re still free and safe, we should try to contact each other.”

Corona and Knight nodded. “Take care, Wave.” Knight said, and he ran out the door into the storm.

“Take care of Torch.” Wave said.

“I will.” She squeezed Wave’s hand and a tear slid down her cheek. “In six months. Count on it.”

Wave nodded. They passed through the door and were gone. Irma stayed behind the counter for a long time after that. They were certainly one weird bunch.

5 Months Later

From all outward appearance, the Xavier Institute in Bayville New York looked like a normal boarding school. But to the students enrolled there, it was anything but. For the Institute was a school for special students, those gifted with powers beyond normal. It was a school for mutants.

Far below its mansion exterior, in a large spherical chamber, sat the school’s founder, Professor Charles Xavier, who was now deeply immersed in a video he had been sent by one of his many supporters among the general public.

He watched with steepled hands and furrowed brow, as a young boy, wearing a mishmash of cobbled clothing and unruly black hair waved his hand and sent a pair of fatigue wearing men in a flying arc into a decorative shrubbery as shocked onlookers fled in panic. He saw a third soldier jump the boy from behind, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier into a popcorn vendor. The youth broke into a run, seamlessly spin-kicking a fourth soldier as he dashed by.

“What are you watching, Charles?” A gruff man’s voice said.

Xavier turned in his wheelchair. “A security video, Logan, sent to me by and old friend, taken at the Mall of America almost over one week ago.”

The tape cycled back to the beginning and Logan watched as the strange boy again fought off his assailants. “He’s good.”

“I agree.” Xavier stopped the tape. “He’s obviously a mutant, but unlike any I’ve ever seen.”

“What does Cerebro say?”

“Cerebro has been unable to find anything about him. It’s as if he doesn’t even exist, though one with his power would usually turn up quickly.”

Logan grumbled. “Maybe I should try to find this kid before something happens to him.”

Xavier tapped a key sequence on Cerebro’s panel. Instantly a large map filled the sphere, small dots springing up a irregular intervals. :I don’t think that will be necessary, Logan. I used Cerebro to cross-reference the data from this tape with similar mutant sightings in the past six months. This is what Cerebro found.”

A line of blue began to connect each dot, leading from Alaska through Canada, the Midwestern states, the Mall of America, Atlanta and finally New York City.

“Now Logan, do you notice a pattern here?”

Logan focused on the dots and the line connecting them. A low growl rumbled deep in his throat.

“Exactly Logan. I think he’s headed here.”

The drone of the bus was enough to put most of the passengers to sleep, but not Shockwave. He sat, his arm leaning on the window, watching the rural countryside pass him by. He felt safer now that he was away from the city--he had always disliked large crowds. A business card was twirling in his fingers, and he looked at it for the thousandth time. He had gotten it from a kindly police officer in Atlanta after an incident there with his pursuers, and though Shockwave didn’t trust anyone, there was something about the officer’s demeanor that made him feel a bit safer.

“Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Professor Charles Xavier Headmaster, Bayville New York.” The card read. Shockwave closed his fingers over it and slid it into the pocket of his polo shirt.

Leafing through his duffel bag, he pulled out a small folder he had got from ShadowKnight when they’d met in Chicago some months earlier. ‘A paper trail. Ya know, in case you ever decide to settle down somewhere.’ He had said. Shockwave had not paid it much attention until now.

He replaced the folder and took out a small framed polaroid he had taken of himself and his younger ‘brother’. “Thanks, Knight.” He whispered. The bus rode on into the mountains.

Though the night air was chill, and she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, Rogue stayed out on the balcony of her room, staring into the night sky. A rather pretty girl of fifteen, with a light southern accent and a shock of white hair running up a center of red, she sighed lightly and stared out into the clear night air.

Her mind wandered from this to that, finally settling on the school dance that was only a week away tomorrow. She had not asked anyone to go, nor did she feel like it, but her heart was heavy. She knew she was meant to be alone, she could not change that, but her feelings had other choices, and they made them known always at night.

A poof sound came from inside her room and she turned around. Standing next to her bed, bedecked in pants and a sweater despite his blue fur, was Kurt, and he was smiling broadly. “Great news. I’m so lucky!”

“What is it Kurt?” Rogue asked. His cheerful nature wasn’t making her feel any better, and she was rather sure his news would only make it worse.

“You know Amanda, that cute girl who sits behind me in math class? She just asked me to the dance! Isn’t that great?” He looked seconds from dancing right now.

Rogue forced her face to stay neutral, though inside she wanted so very badly to kick his jolly, blue, furry butt out the window. “So, why do I need to know this?”

“Oh, I’m so happy, I just needed to tell everyone.”

“And yet, though you know I’m not going, you still appear here and feel compelled to tell me? How insensitive are you, Kurt?”

“I...I...” He stammered out.

Rogue opened her mouth to berate him again, when the squeal of twisting metal, followed by the proximity alarm, snared her attention.

Professor Xavier and Logan were inside Cerebro when the alarm sounded. Logan growled and burst towards the door.

“No, Logan.” Xavier said calmly. “I think our guest has arrived.”

Scott Summers was driving up the road that lead to the Institute when he saw a dark flash and heard the gates buckle. His heart began to pound and he floored the accelerator.

Evan Daniels was skateboarding around the front drive of the Institute when he saw an orb of energy engulf the gates to the school. The metal squealed shrilly as it bent inwards and flew off its hinges. Evan kicked off his board and ran towards the gate.

Jean Grey was almost asleep bed when the alarm jolted her fully awake. Dashing to her window, she saw the school gates burst apart and somebody pass through onto the school grounds. She tried a mental reading, but was astonished to find it blocked by a barrier of some kind. Grabbing her jumpsuit, she ran out into the hall.

Shockwave passed through the now wrecked gates, reminding himself to repay this Xavier as soon as he could. He hated to cause any damage, but the intercom had short-circuited when he tried to ring it. That happened a lot these days.

He began to walk up the road when his instincts told him to duck. A split second after he had, three projectiles flew over his head and thunked into a tree behind him. Seeing a person running at him, and his kind already slicked into threat mode, he dropped his duffel bag and pressed his palms into the ground. A ripple of energy flowed out of him and the ground shuddered violently, churning up dirt and packed gravel. A fissure opened directly beneath his attacker’s feet and he was swollen up.

The sound of a car’s screeching brakes brought him about face. A youth vaulted over the driver’s door of a red convertible, reaching for his sunglasses. Shockwave felt the energy build up and immediately condensed his gravity field around him. Sure enough, a beam of pulsing red energy came hurtling towards him, splashing over the force filed and scorching the ground around it. Shockwave reacted on impulse, and swept him aside with a gravity wave.

He grabbed his duffel bag and sprinted back for the gate. ‘The heck with this, I didn’t come here to be attacked. Perhaps a tactical withdrawal is in order.’

He dodged, half jumping, over the craters formed by his earthquake. He was nearing the gate when his instincts blared and he fell backwards. Another bolt of red energy passed over his body, barely grazing his chest. He rolled over and snapped to his feet, facing his attacker. The youth with the sunglasses was back again, but then again, Shockwave had not meant to harm him. But if the need arose to defend himself, that was a different matter.

Two orbs of gravity swirled around his fists. He focused on the boy in almost a standoff. A sudden whirring sound from behind brought Shockwave spinning and he hurled the grav ball at a small laser that had emerged from behind a patch of shrub. It crumpled like a tin can as Shockwave launched into flips to avoid the new blasts sent by the sunglassed boy.

Shockwave turned his attention back to the youth. This wasn’t any time for mercy. He condensed all his energy into a Demi. “I didn’t want this, but you have forced my hand.” He lobbed the Demi. The boy fired what Shockwave now saw were optic lasers at it. The Demi absorbed them and grew steadily larger with each hit. The Demi picked up speed and locked on target.

At the last possible second, the gravity ball swung upwards and connected with a tree behind the youth, engulfing it and shriveling and turning the leaves black. Shockwave felt the telltale signature of psychokinetic powers and was drawn immediately to their wielder.

He saw a girl standing behind him, and had to look twice to make sure he was seeing right. She looked almost exactly like Corona had, with long flowing red hair, sharp green eyes, and a very pretty face. But her mental powers were the part of her that scared him most, and they kept his mind focused.

“No tricks, mindbender.” he shouted. The girl was taken aback. “I mean it, for your safety and mine, no tricks.”

Shockwave felt a discharge of energy behind him and barely fell forward fast enough as another beam of energy passed over him. The kid was starting to annoy him. Shockwave condensed another Demi and shoved it through the ground at him. it struck in seconds and the boy went flying.

“Scott!” The mindbender said, and Shockwave felt himself rise off the ground.

“I said no tricks!” Shockwave drew in his field and sank back to the earth, landing on his feet. From the shocked look on the girl’s face, he could tell she was surprised by his sudden weight.

She floated away from him and closed her eyes. Shockwave knew what was coming and immediately dove behind the car. The telltale tickle of telepathy never entered his mind and he whooshed out a tense breath.

“Don’t do that!” Shockwave shouted. As he slowly rose from behind the car, he was broadsided by an optic blast. The laser stung a little, but caused no real damage that Shockwave could feel. He spun and flicked another gravity ball at the boy called Scott.

Then the tickle entered. He tried to fight it, but blackness rose to consume him. Memories he had struggled to forget began to flood his mind, followed by a familiar sense of pain. He had told her not to do it, told her it was dangerous. She hadn’t listened.

Jean felt her probe finally slip into the strange boy’s mind. She had to find out who he was and why he had attacked the school. She was totally unprepared for the avalanche of thoughts and memories that cascaded from his mind. She felt pain, sadness, fear and anger flood into her in the company of blurred pictures, dulled sensations and muffled sounds. She immediately broke off, unable to handle the intense outpouring of emotion.

A loud, almost inhuman scream split the night. Jean saw the boy staring right at her, rage imposed on his face, his eyes literally blazing and an orb of crackling and hissing energy swirling around him. He pointed an accusing finger at her.

“Stay out of my head!!!” he bellowed and suddenly Jean felt very queasy. Nausea engulfed her and she gasped, blacking out before the pain began to register.

Rogue watched in horror as the strange boy’s attack swallowed Jean. Anger and fear rose up in her and she began to charge at him, hastily pulling off her gloves as she ran. If she could only touch him, she’d show him who was boss around here.

Rogue stopped dead when he turned to face her. The dark fire that was his eyes seared through her and she took a step back. He smiled a wicked grin and reached out towards her. She felt her feet skid towards him.

“Don’t even try it, buster!” She said, suddenly rushing him and slapping her hand on his face. She waited for the power to transfer to her, but nothing happened. Her jaw dropped and she backed away, a sudden coldness flowing through her. The boy laughed and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. She stared directly into his raging eyes.

He suddenly stopped and dropped her, shaking his head. “What am I doing?“ The fire dimmed and vanished, replaced by eyes of soft hazel. The swirling orb of energy puffed out. All that was a moment ago was a raging mutant was now calm. She stared straight at him.

“Jean!” She heard Scott yell and he sent another beam at the boy. A force field formed behind him and the energy blast splashed over it. Rogue swore she saw the boy smile at her, before he turned and with a wave, sent Scott sliding into the grass.

“Don’t worry Rogue, I got him! I got him!” She heard Kurt say, and she saw him teleport jumping at the boy. He materialized right behind him, poised to grapple. “I got him!”

It was like Kurt had hit a trampoline. He bounced off the boy and flew a good fifty feet, landing in a pile of upturned earth. “Ooh...I don’t got him.”

“Everybody stop!” Professor Xavier’s voice rang very loud and clear. Rogue saw the boy immediately shift his attention towards the steps of the mansion, where Xavier and Logan were standing. Logan as usual was looking dour, but the Professor had a small smile on his face.

“I apologize for not coming sooner, but I was delayed.” Xavier said.

The boy said nothing, he simply slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and walked towards the steps. Rogue watched him, completely puzzled. She heard Kurt stand up, saw both Scott and Evan running towards an unconscious Jean, but was still entranced by the boy. Who was he? And how was she able to touch him?

Shockwave ascended the small flight of stone steps to where the man he figured to be Xavier was sitting, flanked by a rather gruff man he supposed to be the professor’s bodyguard.

Xavier smiled. “Greetings. My name is Charles Xavier and this is my school.” He extended his hand, which Shockwave uneasily shook. There was no doubt in Shockwave’s mind--Xavier was a mindbender.

“Shock...” He cut off abruptly. What was the name from ShadowKnight’s dossier? Perhaps it would be better to use that for now. “Shawn. Shawn Waverly.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Waverly. Please come inside, we have much to discuss.”

Rogue watched as the boy followed Xavier and Logan into the school. She had seen stranger things happen during her time at the Institute, but this was a first.

“Whoa, what happened here?” Rogue turned and saw a beleaguered Kitty Pryde walking slowly up the remains of the gravel road.

“Ah can’t say Ah know.” Rogue answered.

“Ya, that vas totally veird. “Kurt added. “Vhy did Professor Xavier just invite him inside? Isn’t he the enemy? I’m sooo confused.”

Rogue looked over at Scott and Evan, who were helping a very dazed and groggy Jean to her feet. Scott wore a scowl and shot a venomous stare at the departing mutant.

“You’re not the only one, Kurt.” Rogue said softly.

“Whoa, totally ixom. He did this? He, like, ripped the road apart.” Kitty said, surveying the torn roadway.