Scott and Angelo drive home

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Somewhere in eastern Ohio/western Pennsylvania...

Scott pulled them into a rest area/truck stop. He'd been staying off the highways as much as he could, making their trip longer, but it was unavoidable. "Just a quick pit stop. I need to make a call." He'd been making a number of calls, but didn't use the cell phone he had. Instead, using pay phones at these out-of-the-way locations.

Angelo waited in the car, watching Scott by the pay phone. He couldn't help wondering what all the phone calls were about, but had decided not to pry, since he really didn't know Scott that well yet.

The call was quick. His expression changed, and he slammed the phone down. He grabbed the cell from his belt and hit a few numbers. Scott's expression was one of anxiety, maybe even slight panic, from the way the skin at his temples wrinkled behind the visor's sidepieces. "...now! Just go! Damn it! Be safe, Ororo." he said as he swung open the door, tossing the cell into the back seat. "Fuck."

Angelo looked alarmed at this new development, clearly wondering if he wouldn't do better to get out of the car and try his luck in the nearest town instead. At least he wasn't in LA any more... "Is... everything OK?" he asked tentatively.

"No. Damn it, I was hoping for some more time..." He slammed the car into reverse and backed up, then started them going forward, mouth set in a grim line.

Angelo was getting downright scared now. *Something* had clearly been said during that phone call that had upset Scott. Either that, or his driver was a psycho after all, and just very good at hiding it. He didn't quite dare to ask.

He let the silence stretch out as they go onto the road, and he headed toward the nearest on ramp to the highway. The car was going a LOT faster than it had been prior to this stop, but Scott handled it like a pro. Only once they were on the highway did he break it. "I'm sorry, Angelo. There are some things that I didn't mention in the 'recruitment' speech." Scott glanced over at Angelo. He looked focused now, intense. Tense yes, but calmer.

Angelo met Scott's gaze, warily, whatever trust they had built on the road temporarily laid aside. "Like what?" he asked levelly. 

"There is another mutant out there. He goes by the name Magneto. He wants ... he wants to kill all humans. Not mutants. Do you remember back in May? The period of headaches? First in mutants, so you might have felt that. Then in humans."

"Yeah", Angelo answered slowly, remembering. "I never did find out what that was."

"The first was caused by a man named Stryker. He wanted to kill all mutants. The second was caused by Magneto. He wanted to kill all humans." Scott's mouth drew in a tighter line, and he took a deep breath, obviously trying to relax. "They used the Professor to cause those headaches. Hooked him up to something that would do just what they wanted."

"But... it didn't work, obviously, since we're still here. So what happened? And what does it have to do with whatever's going on now?"

Quietly, just under his breath, Scott said "Now is when I could use a telepath to keep the cops off my back. 

"They were stopped. Stryker's dead, but Magneto is still out there. Still waging his war." He switched lanes, the speedometer keeping steady at about 90 mph. "And now he's making a move. It's one of the reasons I was away from the school."

"A move. Against humans, you mean? Where?" Angelo demanded, starting to panic. His *human* mom was still back in LA...

"Nothing that big, not yet. The equipment used before was destroyed. But he's gathering more." Scott paused, shaking his head. "Not all mutants think humans should be allowed to live. We lost one of our students to Magneto's side." He slowed suddenly, sliding behind another car, and not long after they passed a cop, as they cruised at just slightly over the speed limit. "And now, in the process of Magneto's current mission, he's going to use this student as a martyr to his cause."

"He's... going to get the student killed? On purpose? A *mutant*? Shit..."

Scott nodded. "I'll be honest. This student is not my favorite, not by a long shot. But John doesn't ... need to be a martyr." Speeding up again, Scott looked again at Angelo. "Magneto is always willing to sacrifice a few ... humans OR mutants ... to his cause, if it'll advance it."

Angelo still looked shaken by all this. "So what are your people doing about it? You're not going to let this John die, right? I mean, like you said, he shouldn't be martyred. Nobody should."

"No, we're not. The first call, and the other calls I've been making, have been to my contacts on when Magneto would be doing this. Obviously, the answer is now. The cell call was to another teacher, Ororo Munroe. She's been warned, and we've got a team going to stop it."

He gestured to the back seat. "Can you get the phone? I want to make sure I turned it off."

Angelo reached into the back and grabbed the phone, sneaking a glance at it before handing it over. It didn't look like any cell phone he'd ever seen.

"Thanks."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Angelo asked, not really expecting that there would be, but feeling like he had to offer anyway. 

"Keep an eye out for police, unless you have some telepathic abilities you haven't told me about/shown yet." Scott managed a smile, barely.

Angelo smiled back weakly. "Sorry, no telepathy here. But I'll definitely keep an eye out for the cops - a run in with them is the last thing I need."

That caused Scott to look over at him. "An outstanding warrant?"

"Uh..." Angelo squirmed. He hadn't really meant to let that slip. "Try several. I did some stuff I'm not really proud of, back with the guys in LA."

"S'okay," Scott reassured him, or at least tried to. "We've all done things we're not proud of." He debated telling him about the White House break-in, as it were, but decided to skip it. "That's one thing we don't have on our side yet. A mutant lawyer." He chuckled. "More mutant doctors than you can shake a stick at, though."

"Really?" Angelo asked, honestly curious. "Wonder why that is..."

"I think it's part of the drive to understand why we are what we are. And why we have the abilities we do." He shrugged. "Jean ne...she always wanted to know if it was part of natural evolution or not."

"But it has to be, right?" Angelo asked, unsure whether or not he should call Scott on who "she" was, and deciding not to. "I mean, what else could it be?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Medicine's not my field. But if you want to know more, you can talk to Hank when we get there. Or ... " He stopped, then sighed and decided to continue. "Dr. Essex. Hank's also a doctor too, you may have seen him on TV a few times. Dr. Hank McCoy."

"Oh yeah, I remember. He was on some debate show with that millionaire guy, talking about mutation. Is he a mutant too, then?"

"Yes. He is. But you likely won't recognize him. His mutation is rather obvious, so he uses an image inducer. Like a hologram. His nickname is Beast, but he's a very sweet man, and wouldn't hurt a fly."

"So how many people live in this mansion of yours?" Angelo asked, trying to keep track of all the new people he'd have to get to know.

"Quite a few, maybe 50? Unless they've had a big influx of people since I left, which I doubt. We did have a rather large influx after...in May, when it became obvious that some people were mutants."

"Oh, you mean after the attack you told me about before? Yeah, I get that - the place is set up like a refuge, then?"

Scott nodded. "Refuge, but it's still a school. You can take regular classes, like at any school, but there are specialized classes as well. And you can learn more about your abilities without anyone thinking you're a freak, or trying to hurt you."

Well, that would be really good. I've been working on my control, since I didn't really have much else to do, and I can keep the skin retracted for a long time now. But I'd really like to get it to be that way all the time, except when I *want* to use it or show people, if I can... And being in a safe place will be good too."

Scott pursed his lips in thought for a few seconds. "You don't seem all that upset about your mutation. Not just being a mutant, but the effect of it. Not that I think you should or shouldn't be upset, it's just more of a comment. We have a few other kids, about your age.

"They ... " he frowned, thinking of Sarah, "...think of themselves as freaks, that they don't belong in the world with the rest of us. Not just humans, but mutants that /look/ more normal.

"And it's hard as hell to get them to stop thinking like that."

"I can kind of see where they're coming from, to be honest", Angelo admitted, "even if I don't believe they're right. I know how the world can react to people like us, when they find out what we are, and I can't really blame people for not wanting to be part of it. And really, there's stuff I'm trying not to think about, the reason I was where you found me, that's to do with my mutation and does upset me. But I'd rather not talk about that right now, if that's OK."

"Sure," Scott dropped the subject. He'd at least given him a head's up. And it kept him from thinking about what was going on at the mansion for a little bit more.

And the car went silent, as they both turned to their own thoughts and staring out the windows.