System Shock

Part 2

Shockwave sat down in the comfortable chair across from Xavier's desk, his

duffel bag laid across his lap. His heart was thumping fast, anxiety had set in.

Though Xavier was smiling warmly, he was still a mindbender, and Shockwave could

not bring himself to trust him. The man called Logan stood against the closed

door, occasionally growling like an animal.

"Can I get you anything, Mr. Waverly? Some coffee, tea?" Xavier said.

"I don't drink caffeine." Shockwave replied. "Um, nothing, thank you." He

hastily added.

Xavier folded his hands on the desk. Beads of sweat formed on Shockwave's

forehead. Xavier's eyes scared him.

"Well, Mr. Waverly..."

"Shawn, please."

"Shawn. I must say I've been looking forward to meeting you. Your case

intrigues me, to say the least."

"How so?" Shockwave asked, raising an eyebrow.

"By now, you realize that you are different from other people."

Shockwave nodded. He had known that for years.

"But I must say, even in relation to other mutants, you are rather unique."

Shockwave's eyes widened.

"Yes, Shawn it's true. You are quite a special boy. Even Cerebro has been

unable isolate yourself."

"Cerebro? Who's Cerebro?"

"Cerebro is our computer. We use it to locate other mutants in hopes of finding

and helping them before they fall into trouble."

Shockwave leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Wow. You sure

have some operation here. And all this to find and protect people like us."

"It is my wish for all people to live in peace, and this school brings that

goal one step closer to realization."

"A noble dream, Professor. I hope it eventually comes to fruition."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You sound skeptical."

Shockwave crossed his arms over his chest. "Forgive me Professor, but I've seen

and experienced much in my life to the contrary. If only all mutants were as

benevolent as yourself, maybe peace would be possible, but this isn't an ideal

world. My life has proven that."

Xavier templed his fingers. "Which leads me to my next question. How did you

come by my school and for how long have you had your powers?"

Shockwave took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm fond of saying that

everybody thinks their life is bad until they meet someone who's had it worse.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find the person that makes mine seem all the

better.

"I might have been eight or nine when my powers first manifested, I'm not sure.

In fact, my entire childhood is a blur to me. And whatever I do remember of it,

I'd like to forget, so forgive me if I'd rather not speak of it."

Xavier spread his hands. "I won't pressure you."

"I appreciate it. What I can say is that for...the...last..." A strange

expression came over Shockwave's face. He felt the tickle enter, coming from

Xavier. It was slight, not at all invasive, but the blackness began to cloud up

Shockwave's mind. The entire room grew fuzzy.

* * *

Suddenly Shockwave screamed and covered his ears, clawing at his temples. Logan

snarled and extended his claws.

"No, no, out!" Shockwave said, crumbling to the floor. "Out of my head! Get

out!"

The image of a hideously mocking man laughing entered Xavier's mind. Fear

poured from every inch of Shockwave's being. Xavier immediately withdrew his

probe.

* * *

Shockwave felt the probe depart from his mind. The dark oblivion threatening to

overcome him gradually receded. Shockwave forced his nerves to calm.

"Mr. Waverly, Shawn. Are you alright?" Xavier's voice was muffled and sounded

very distant, but Shockwave heard a note of genuine concern in the words.

"Fine, Professor..." He pushed up onto his knees. "But next time...Look, sir,

don't ever do that!"

"Watch your mouth, kid." Logan snapped.

"I'll shut yours." Shockwave said. "Nobody was speaking to you."

Logan snarled. Xavier raised his hand. "Logan. It's not problem." The gruff

mutant backed down. "I apologize, Mr. Waverly. I was unaware."

"Don't fret it. I was..." Shockwave gasped. "Oh no, the girl! I forgot all

about her!"

"Who?" Xavier asked.

"Coro..." na, he almost said. No, she wasn't his old friend. "The red-haired

mindbender. She tried a probe and I blacked out. I hope I didn't hurt her."

"Jean." Xavier said. "Yes, I felt that. Rest assured, Shawn, she will be fine."

Shockwave felt relieved. "People like you and her can't go into my mind. I lose

all control and lash out at anything in range, starting with you."

"A result of your--forgotten--years?"

Shockwave clenched his fists. He wished Xavier hadn't said that, he had a hard

enough time forgetting about it as it was. He managed a slight nod.

"I shall say no more."

"Thank you." He looked at Xavier, then at Logan. "Professor, I've been running

for far too long. When an associate of yours told me about this place, I

honestly felt relieved. I need a place where I can be safe. Could I...?"

"Say no more, Shawn. Welcome to the Xavier Institute." He reached out his hand.

A warmth flowed through Shockwave. This time he shook Xavier's hand with

confidence and a slight smile. "Thank you, sir. Now if I may be allowed to

retire for the evening."

"Of course. Logan, would you please show Mr. Waverly to one of the free rooms."

Logan grumbled "C'mon kid," and left the room. Shockwave reached for his duffel

bag.

"One more thing, Shawn. We'll need to enroll you in the local high school."

Shockwave fished into his bag, pulled out the file ShadowKnight had given him,

and tossed it onto Xavier's desk. The Professor picked it up and glanced through

it. "A paper trail?"

"Something my brother cooked up. It'll do, right?"

Xavier's brow furrowed. "Then I assume 'Shawn Waverly' is an alias?"

Shockwave nodded. "Professor, If I had a name, I don't recall it now. I am only

Shockwave...and Shawn Waverly."

"As you say. Sleep well, Shawn."

* * *

"You can sleep here." Logan said, opening the door to the small room. He

flipped the light switch, but the bulb stayed dark. He tried a few more times,

with the same result. "Bulbs...I just replaced them."

Shockwave felt embarrassed. "My fault." He concentrated, drawing his entire

field into his body. The light winked on. Logan gave Shockwave a confused look.

"That happens every now and then. I have to keep track."

"Right, kid. Well, dresser's over there, balcony's outside the window.

Breakfast's at seven."

Shockwave nodded. "Thank you, sir."

"Logan. Just Logan."

Shockwave gave Logan a slight bow. The gruff mutant's jaw almost dropped.

'Weird kid.' He thought. "Yeah, well, good night, kid." Logan shut the door with

a click.

Shockwave walked to the balcony doors and slid them open. A rush of cold night

air greeted him as he stepped out onto the balcony. Taking in a lungful of fresh

air, he felt himself calm dramatically. As strange as today had been, he was

grateful.

He turned back into the room, leaving the door open. He scooped up his duffel

bag, walked to his dresser, and began to empty his few personal possessions into

it.

Other than the pair of ripped denims and his mismatched polo shirt that he was

wearing now, he had a pair of meticulously folded black khakis that ShadowKnight

had given him, a black t-shirt with the words "Don't Annoy the Crazy Person" on

it, a few pairs of undergarments and a long wool coat. He neatly arranged these

in the top drawer.

In the second, he laid his three books: a worn copy of Dune by Frank Herbert

somebody had given him, a copy of Oedipus Rex he had found on a train, and a

very old book on astronomy he had had since before he could remember. He laid on

top his only CD, by a band called Metallica. He had spent some of his precious

little money on it because the fourth song, one called "Unforgiven", reminded

him very much of his life.

The last thing he took out was the photo of himself and ShadowKnight. His

thoughts drifted to his 'brother', and he hoped he was well. Once he was settled

in, Shockwave decided, he would find his little brother and bring him to the

Institute. Shockwave laid the photo on top the dresser.

He turned around and surveyed his room. Sparse, yes. A bit small, yes. But for

the first time in his entire life, he felt truly safe.

* * *

Rogue saw the lights flick out under the door to the room that the boy--she had

learned from Logan that his name was Shawn--was given. She had wanted to knock

on the door, to demand to know why her powers hadn't affected him, but something

held her back. She stood there for a long time, staring at paneled wood. Maybe

she would ask him in the morning.

* * *

Shockwave awoke with a start, his entire body covered in wet film and

shivering. His eyes darted around and he realized he wasn't in his room anymore.

The ground upon which he lay was coarse, un-bonded gravel that reflected a dim

glow of the pink sky. The entire area was ringed by mountains of white-frosted

ice. A single, blue moon hovered directly above him. Shockwave immediately knew

exactly where he was.

He snapped to his feet, turning in every direction. HE was here.

"You thought you could run, boy?"

Shockwave spun towards the haunting voice and launched a Demi. A broken, hazy

outline of Mindbender echoed out a wicked laugh. "Run all you like, boy--I will

find you, and you shall become mine once more!"

* * *

"No!" Shockwave shouted, snapping up quickly. A blast of cold air chilled his

face and chest dry. He looked over towards the balcony and saw the door was

open, as he hoped he had left it the previous night. The sun was just a sliver

on the horizon. Shockwave forced his hands to stop shaking, forced his rapidly

beating heart to calm.

The bed sheets were tangled around his legs, and he threw them off with a

slight gravitic shove. He swung his feet off the bed and rubbed his eyes, then

walked out onto the balcony.

In the courtyard below, he saw Logan-claws extended-running through a rigorous

calisthenics routine. The dour mutant looked up at him and flashed a snarl,

swiping his claws in a wide arc.

Shockwave smirked and gave a small salute before withdrawing into his room. He

had much to do. The memory of Mindbender's invasion still fresh in his mind, he

dressed in his khakis and 'Crazy Person' shirt. It seemed appropriate today, at

least.

* * *

The Institute's common room drew very silent when Shockwave entered, all eyes

falling on him. Shockwave looked from face to face. The boy with the

sunglasses--Scott--shot him a very hostile look. The red-haired girl--Jean--was

sitting next to him, and she tensed up visibly, wide eyes staring.

Shockwave looked down, suddenly feeling very guilty, and walked towards her.

Scott stood up and intercepted him.

"Look, I don't know who you are, or what the Professor thinks of you, but you

stay away from Jean. You've hurt her enough."

Anger bubbled up in Shockwave. "If you would only be less impulsive...I only

wish to apologize for my actions."

The boy folded his arms over his chest. "There, you said it, now get lost."

"Who are you to speak for her?" Shockwave looked over the boy's shoulder at

Jean, who appeared very confused.

"Scott," She said, standing. "Let him speak."

Scott gave her a look that said plainly 'What are you doing?' Jean took his

hand. "Please." Scott scratched the back of his neck and stepped aside.

Shockwave bowed deeply to her. "I humbly apologize for any injury I

inadvertently caused you."

Jean's jaw dropped. "O-ok...I forgive you...I think?"

Shockwave, still bowing, said "And if you would grant this minor

request--please do not try to read or enter my mind. It's not a matter of

privacy, I simply lose control of myself."

Jean's expression softened. "Oh. Ok, I won't do it again."

"Thank you." Shockwave said, straightening. Jean gave him a small smile. He was

amazed by how similar she and Corona were.

Scott imposed himself between them. "There, now you said it. So get lost."

"Scott." Jean said. "Leave him alone. He apologized, he didn't mean any harm."

"Jean, he still crashed the gates and attacked us. We can't afford to trust him

no matter how nice he is now."

"Wait." Shockwave said. I didn't attack you. You attacked me."

"What are you talking about? You attacked Evan, then me. I saw you."

"I beg to differ. I was only walking up to the school when your rash friend

threw spikes at me, then you drive up and start shooting your eyes off. What was

I supposed to do, stand there and take it?"

Scott stared at Evan, who nodded. "True, dude. I did throw first."

"Maybe..." Scott said. "But if you had used the intercom instead of blowing up

the gates..."

"I tried." Shockwave cut off.

"What do you mean, tried?"

Shockwave walked past Scott and Jean, over to the television. Holding out his

hand, he waved it in front of the screen. The television sputtered, burst into

static, and died, sparks spitting out the back and eliciting shouts of protest

from Evan and Kurt.

"That's what I mean."

Scott's angry expression changed almost immediately. "Oh."

Shockwave walked away from the television, towards the door.

"Wait." Scott said. Shockwave stopped and turned his neck. "Look, sorry about

that. I didn't know."

"Apology accepted. Now if you'll excuse me." He walked from the room.

"Waitaminute! What about the T.V.?!" Evan exclaimed.

* * *

Professor Xavier was waiting in front of the school as Shockwave walked out. He

smiled and Shockwave nodded. "Is everything going well?" Xavier asked.

Shockwave stared into the sky. "I suppose so. Just the pains of fitting in,

you'd say."

"Give them time, Shawn. After all, you did make quite and entrance."

"Oh yes, about that. I take full responsibility for the gates and road and I'll

find a way to pay you back for them as soon as possible."

"Think nothing of it, Shawn." Xavier smiled. "I spoke to a friend of mine at

Bayville High, and you should not have trouble enrolling. Apparently your friend

did a very thorough job."

"He's good like that."

Xavier patted Shockwave on the back. "Have a good day Shawn. And be sure to

report back after school. I need to test your powers."

Shockwave nodded and Xavier wheeled back into the school. He walked down the

steps. The damage he had done the previous evening looked worse in the morning

light. Shockwave cracked his knuckles and focused his energy into a rolling

wave. He turned in place, the gravity wave smoothing out the churned earth and

cracked gravel. it wasn't perfect, but it would do until Shockwave could pay for

it to be repaired.

* * *

The bus stop at the bottom of the hill below the Institute was teeming with

people. Shockwave wondered if they were all students at the school or just

commuters.

Shockwave kept to the shadows under the treeline. He disliked crowds, and

fortunately no one in the queue seemed to notice him. He crossed his arms,

closed his eyes, tilted his head down and waited for the bus.

After a few seconds, he felt a light tap on his shoulder and opened his eyes.

One of the girls from the Institute was standing in front of him wearing a sweet

smile.

"Hi, I'm Kitty." She said.

"Shawn" Shockwave replied.

"You're new at the school, right? You're, like, the guy that totally wasted the

driveway."

Shockwave nodded.

"Wow, that was, like, totally ixom."

Shockwave raised an eyebrow. "Ixom"

Kitty giggled. "Just something I say."

"Ah..." Shockwave said, though he had no idea why she would say such a word.

"Anyway, If you, like, need help finding things, or, you know, fitting in, feel

free to ask me."

"I'm sure." Shockwave said, though why he would ever ask such a effervescent

person was beyond him. She did, however, remind him a bit of ShadowKnight, and

for that he gave her a smile.

"Yo, Kitty, over here!" He saw Kitty turn and wave to a small boy in a hat.

"Coming Kurt. "She said. "Nice to meet you, Shawn."

"Same here." Shockwave said as she hurried off. He watched her for a moment,

shrugged, and hunched over again.

He heard the bus pull up to the corner a few minutes later. He waited until

everyone else was aboard before getting on. It was rather crowded, but he found

a seat near the back. Drawing in his entire field, he sat down and the entire

bus jumped. A hush fell over the students, some of which looked around for the

cause of the jolt. Nobody seemed to notice him, however, and the nervous silence

ended. Shockwave looked out the window as the bus pulled away.

* * *

Rogue risked a glance back at Shawn. He looked--depressed, alone. Rogue

understood how he felt. She wanted to talk to him, but with Kurt sitting next to

her in an animated conversation with Kitty, she didn't feel like pushing past

him or his questions.

She had felt the jolt like the other students, but only she seemed to know that

he had caused it. Was it because of his powers? Nobody at the Institute knew

what they were, so it could be. But what kind of power would allow him to resist

hers? She had to find out...maybe after school

* * *

Shockwave felt uncomfortable as he sat in the Bayville High School Principal's

office. It was very lightly furnished, quite warm and too quiet and orderly for

his tastes.

Principal Kelly "Hmmed" and "Ahhhed" as he looked over 'Shawn Waverly's school

records.' Shockwave smiled inwardly. ShadowKnight truly was amazing. Kelly

closed the file and set it in the middle of his desk.

"Well, Mr. Waverly, I must say you're quite the student. Your grades are

impeccable, your list of extracurricular activities and college courses are most

impressive and you are very highly regarded by all your previous schools."

"I try." Shockwave said, trying not to laugh.

"Well, you shouldn't have a single problem fitting in here. Welcome to Bayville

High, Mr. Waverly."

"Thank you sir." Shockwave said, standing up and shaking Kelly's hand.

"Here's your schedule." Kelly handed Shockwave a small index card. "Right now

it's third period, so hustle."

Shockwave flashed a fake smile, took the card, and walked out of the office

into the hall, which was slowly emptying as students headed for their classes.

Though he had never actually been in a real school before, he figured it would

be easy enough to get by.

"Third period, Western Literature, room 216" he read off the card. As he walked

through the halls, he absorbed the sights and sounds that other student's took

for granted. A few looked at him, but that was all.

As he walked into room 216, the lights flickered and his throat tightened. But

none of classmates either noticed or cared. He wondered if all high school

students were this oblivious.

"Good Morning, Class." A small man who Shockwave figured was the teacher

entered the room, drawing mumbles and groans from the other teenagers. He looked

once at Shockwave and raised his eyebrows. "New student?"

Shockwave nodded, and he felt the collective eyes of the class burning into his

back. He wondered if this was what awaited him all day.

* * *

The lunch bell rang and students filed out into the quad for food and

socialization. Shockwave was amazed by the array of foods available, as he was

used to eating tasteless pastes and whatever he could forage for. In the months

since his escape, he had never seen so many varieties of food.

Unsure as what to buy, he fell back on what he knew and bought an apple. He

walked out of the cafeteria shaking his head. Maybe he had finally found

something to ask Kitty about.

The air was cooler and much fresher on the quad. He passed by tables of

students, onto the field and sat in the shade under a large tree. He took a bite

of his apple and watched as more and more teens entered and the quad swelled.

"Yo, newbie, mind if we sit here?"

Shockwave turned and saw a group of four boys standing not far away. One was

short and slim, one reminded Shockwave of a frog, one was massive and the last

looked familiar to him.

"Name's Lance, " He said. "We're in the same history class."

"Oh." Shockwave said. He took another bite of the apple.

"And this here's Pietro, Todd and the fat guy is Fred."

Shockwave stared at Lance and his crew. "Shawn." He said.

"Well, Shawn, let me be the first to welcome you to Bayville High." he smiled

in a way that Shockwave found very irritating.

"Look, is there a point to all this?" Shockwave said.

"Hey, kid, show Lance some 'spect." The one called Todd said. "He's pretty

big-like round here."

"Shockwave turned away from them. "I'm sure."

The smile on Lance's face vanished and he clenched his fist. "I don't think I

like your attitude. I'm only trying to give you the inside shot for one of

your...gifts." Lance grinned as he said the last part.

Shockwave scowled. "So that's it. Why don't you just get lost. I don't want

your...gifts."

The ground under Shockwave began to rumble. Lance smirked. "Be careful, kid.

Looks like the ground's a bit queasy today." Todd, Pietro and Fred laughed.

So they wanted to play. Fine, Shockwave was always game. He reached out with

his gravity field, felt it bury into the ground and surround the four boys.

Closing his eyes, he tugged both upwards and downwards simultaneously.

The laughs ceased as ground under they boys buckled and split and they fell

apart into the freshly turned earth. Shockwave stood up and threw away the

remains of his apple.

The frog-boy Todd was the first one up. "Oh man, you got guts, doin that ta the

Brotherhood." He leapt at Shockwave, who caught him in midair and deflected him

across the quad.

A blur shot past his eyes. So another wanted to play, simple enough. He reigned

in his field and emitted a massive tugging force. The blur was pulled from

motion and Shockwave saw Pietro fall flat on his face.

A bellow from burly Fred brought Shockwave about face. The big boy swung a

meaty fist at him, which he blocked in one quick motion. He drew his field

completely in and felt his body harden. Fred's second punch smashed into

Shockwave's chest. The massive mutant's smile abruptly vanished as his knuckles

cracked against the unyielding steel that was Shockwave's body.

Shockwave struck twice, once to Fred's girth and again to his forehead. Fred

flew back a good twenty feet, landing on a table loaded with food and smashing

it to bits.

Now the students saw what was happening. They began to crowd in a semi-circle

around Shockwave and Lance. Tension filled the air. Lance was sweating,

clenching and releasing his fists. Shockwave wore a smile of mockery.

"What is going on here? What are you doing?" Principal Kelly shoved through the

crowd, his brow furrowing rapidly. "Mr. Waverly? What is the meaning of this?"

Shockwave gave Lance a very sinister smile. "Oh nothing, sir. These boys were

just welcoming me to the school."

"You'd best avoid them, Mr. Waverly. Those boys are nothing but trouble."

Shockwave nodded once, not taking his eyes off Lance or weakening his stare.

"I'll make sure I do, sir."

"Very well, now break it up. Class will be starting soon." Principal Kelly

turned and ushered the other students away. Shockwave picked up his bag and

walked past Lance, administering a gravitic shove as he passed that knocked

Lance to his knees.

Todd hopped over. "Man, that guy's dense. Wha you suppose he could do if he

joined us?"

Lance gave Todd a look that plainly said 'Shut up.'