Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 20:29:02 -0400 (EDT) From: DOGG <nphillydogg@aol.com> Subject: xmen tales-69 / the new mutants Disclaimer: X-Men Tales: is loosely based on the X-Men- Evolution t.v. cartoon series, as well as the comic book produced by Marvel Comics. ___________________________________________________________________ The X-Men are mutants, unfortunate people born with an X-gene that gives them extraordinary powers and abilities which makes them outcasts to those considered "normal" in the world. ___________________________________________________________________ X-Men cast: (Teachers) Angel, Calisto, Forge, and Dr Mora MacTaggert, (Teacher's Assistants) Cannonball, Gambit, Northstar, Thunderbird, Marvel Girl [Jean Grey], & Spirit (Students) Iceman-17, Multipleboy-14, Nightcrawler-17, Sunspot-17, Havok-17 / Amanda-17, Jubilee-14, Karma-17, Magma-16, Rogue-17, Shadowcat-15, Syran-17, Wolvesbane-16, WeaponX-17 (New Mutants) Atlanticstar, Darwin, Empath, Fish, Ghost, Ladybug, Magik, Mole, Neanderthal, Smoke, Surge, Tether, Genesis[1], Nemesis[2], ___________________________________________________________________ NONE SEX ADDITION! ___________________________________________________________________ X-Men Tales: -pt69 Title: THE NEW MUTANTS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pt-1<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< THE XAVIER INSITUTE OF HIGH LEARNING FOR GIFTED STUDENTS Salem Center, New York The sliver Avenger's Quinn-Jet lowered slowly onto The Xavier Estate, generating interests from many of the students who ran to their bedroom windows. The side door slid open as Wanda Maximoff [aka The Scarlet Witch] exited the craft and dashed into The Institute where Dr. Mora MacTaggert was waiting...! "Doctor MacTaggert..." called Wanda, visibly shaken as she met Mora standing outside of the main entrance! "...I came as SOON as you called...! What's happened to my children...?!" she asked, as she followed MacTaggert inside! "You must forgive me, Wanda..." apologized the doctor right off, rushing across the hard wood floors to the elevators leading to the lower levels of the mansion! "...we've been swamped with kids coming back from spring break, as well as the survivors of the Genosha disaster...what with them all having lost their memories and trying to run test to determine their ages and identification...!" she said as they descended passed sub-level-1 and straight down to sub-level-2! "I understand..." said Wanda, as the elevator doors opened! "...I saw some of the footage on the news..., I'm really glad The X-Men were able to get IN there and stop them for ruining anymore mutant's lives...!" "Yes...well..." said Mora, getting back on track as she rushed Wanda into one of the medical labs...! "...I was swamped with more work than usual...I know it's NO excuse..., but when I went in to check on William and Thomas, THIS is what I found...!" Mora and The Scarlet Witch entered the med-lab where Wanda's eyes widened in shock... "Wha...what is this...some kind of joke...?!" she asked, staring at the 2 young boys that were supposed to be her sons...! "Where are Thomas and William...?!?" "This IS Thomas and William...!" said Dr. MacTaggert, pointing at the two 5 year olds looking back at their mother...! Wanda looked appalled...! "H...how...is this possible...???" she asked, reaching out for something to hold onto! "I...I'm not sure...!" said Mora, honestly [sympathetically]! "We've speculated in the past that William and Thomas MAY not be normal children..., what with their father being an ancient mutant fused with alien technology [Apocalypse] and their mother a mutant witch with powerful probability abilities...! Who KNOWS what kind of DNA molecules could be hidden inside that kind of offspring...?" "I don't understand..." said The Wanda, staring at her 2 sons...! "...when I left them here in your care..., YOU said they didn't show any abnormalities...! You said they were NORMAL children...!" "All the tests showed there WERE...!" explained Mora! "They STILL do...!" "But that's impossible..." said Wanda, almost hysterically! "...LOOK AT THEM!" "Despite having aged 5 years in a matter of months...they're still JUST CHILDREN, Wanda...!" reasoned Mora! "There's NOTHING in the tests to indicate otherwise!" "Yet LOOK at them..." argued Wanda, "...CLEARLY they are not `normal' children!" she added, before turning and heading back into the corridor towards the elevators! "Wanda..." called MacTaggert, chasing after her...! "...where are you going...? What do you want us to DO with your children...?!" "I told you before, Mora..., those two monstrosities ARE NOT my children!" said The Avenger, pressing the button for the elevator! "I don't care WHAT you do with them!" "You can't MEAN that...!" said Mora, feeling sorry for the boys...! "You can't just abandon them...they're just children...! They're innocent beings! They NEED their mother to care to nurture them!" "When will you get it through your HEAD, Mora..., they're not MY children...!" yelled the Witch! "I have NO emotional attachment to those kids...! I hated their father! I was FORCED to have his offspring! I never wanted them!" "There are millions of women out there that have had children out of wedlock...or under even less desirable circumstances..., but they DEAL with the hands they were dealt and they move on with their lives! Dumping and abandoning your children isn't solving the problem, its avoiding it!" argued Mora as the elevator doors opened...! "You've never given birth to monsters...!" stated Wanda, stepping onto the elevator! "So unless you've walked a mile in MY shoes..." Mora stopped the elevator doors from closing on her, wedging herself in-between... "Least you forget I DID give birth to a monster..." reminded MacTaggert, emotionally...! "...one of the most powerfulest mutants capable of destroying the entire planet...! But that didn't stop me from being its mother...!" she added, before allowing the doors to slam shut! The Scarlet Witch fell back against the elevator wall, clutching her breasts as she recalled the time when Mora MacTaggert gave birth to a baby mutant! She'd had a tough pregnancy, and the X-Men thought she might die as the baby seemed to be leeching her life's essence! Xavier and Beast decided to give her an emergency caesarian before the baby could finish killing her! It's anyone's guess what happened to the baby after that, Wanda always assumed it died shortly after birth...? When the elevator doors opened, she briefly considered going back downstairs to face her fate head-on...but an instant later she found herself rushing from the mansion, strapping into the pilot seat before hitting the ignition switch and soaring off into the sky [heading home to Avenger's Mansion in Manhattan]...! Meanwhile Mora walked back into the lab, finding the twin boys playing amongst themselves on the exam table... "Don't worry little ones...you're not alone..." she smiled, stroking their bright red hair...! "...there's someone here who loves you...!" she added, wondering where The X-Men were...? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pt-2<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< XAVIER'S OFFICE The current staff discuss the future of the school... "Ranks'r startin' to feel a lil' THIN around here...!" said Calisto, closing the door to the office as he, Angel, and Forge [the only surviving X-Men left] sought a solution for the school's current situation! "We've GOT to figure out a solution soon...!" added Angel, leaning on his elbows against the back of one of the high back chairs facing Xavier's prize oak desk [his big beautiful white wings tucked neatly behind his back while not in flight]! "CAN the school stay open as a legitimate learning academy if we've only got 3 certified teachers on staff...?" he asked! "Not with the number of students we have enrolled...!" answered Forge, sitting behind Xavier's desk as acting headmaster! "We still have our original students on register..., and now we've added The Morlocks AND the survivors from Genosha onto the roster! We NEED to find more teachers if we want to keep the school open for our mutants...!" "Human teachers...?" questioned Angel, skeptically! "HERE...? At mutant central...??" "What's the alternative...?" asked Calisto, leaning against a bookcase! "Public school!" answered Forge! Calisto cringed, recalling how horrible public school was for HIM once his mutant abilities started to manifest! "Geez..." he said in response! "We've ALL had issues with public school..." said Forge, looking up at Angel...! "Well, MOST of us..." he corrected, recalling how Warren Worthington-III went to private schools and had tutors all his life...! "Don't hate me because I was privileged!" joked Angel, coming from a wealthy background! "Let me get something straight..." said Calisto, realizing with Xavier's and Warren's rich backgrounds, MONEY shouldn't be a problem...! "...the ONLY issue here is keeping the institute opened as a state certified school...?" he clarified, "NOT because of money...?" "Correct...!" answered Forge, "After his initial death, Charles appointed Power Of Attorney to anyone acting as headmaster, enabling them access to his family's fortune to keep the bills paid...!" "AND my inherited fortune insures money never to be a problem...!" added Angel! "So what can we do...?" asked Calisto, "Any teacher who comes to The Institute will immediately KNOW somethin's different about our students...!" he assured! "They'll go RUNNIN' to the police as soon as they see Kitty walk through a wall..., or see Fish's scales and gills, or Tether's green skin, sharp teeth, and alligator tail...! We'll have every anti-mutant activist and government agency comin' down on us faster than an inmate on a street corner prostitute...!" "Very vivid imagery...!" said Forge! "We CAN'T expose our students to public school either..., not after LAST time...!" he reasoned! "Why...? What happened last time...?" asked Cal, curiously! "Mystique was impersonating the school's principal...and Jean Grey nearly leveled the entire school when Mastermind awakened her Abigail persona...! [back in chaps-25 & 26 `Psych Madness' & `Attack On Bayville High']! "Do you have any mutant friendly staffing in mind...?" asked Calisto, curiously! "No...not really...!" said Forge, knowing it might take time to find just the right teachers...! "Gambit, Northstar, Marvel Girl, Thunderbird, Spirit, and Cannonball are currently taking college courses to become certified teachers..., but that could take SOME time...!" "The Morlocks homeschooled our young underground..." explained Cal, "...I could possibly bring IN Healer, Mother Mayhem, Masque, Plague, and Caliaban to help with classes until you find replacements...OR until The X-Men return...!" "uh..." hesitated Forge, skeptically...! "...I'm not sure that's a good idea, Cal...!" he declined, respectfully...! "Several members of The X-Men weren't comfortable having YOU join our ranks..., let alone an entire STAFF of Morlocks waiting to greet them the moment they get back from space...!" "IF they get back from space...!" corrected Cal, watching Forge's eyes narrow on him! "The X-Men WILL return..." said Forge, "...we've faced bad scenarios before, and have come through in flying colors every time...!" "But you weren't abducted into SPACE by ALIENS, were you...?" asked Calisto [flipped]! "Guys, guys...can't we all just get along...?" asked Angel! "How LONG've I been a part of The X-Men...?" asked Cal, irate! "I've fought beside yall against Apocalypse...! Against Genosha...! I've PAID my way as a trusted ally!" he argued! "No one's saying you haven't..." agreed Angel [touching Cal affectionately on the shoulder], trying to calm his boyfriend down! "Don't patronize me, baby...I don't like it...!" stated Cal, seriously! "I'm sorry...!" said Angel [removing his hand], respectfully! "I could understand him not trustin' me inna beginnin'..." continued Calisto, "...but I've EARNED my place in this house...! I'm NOT the enemy anymore...!" "We know..." said Angel, "...don't think for a minute that Forge doesn't realize the contributions you've made for the team..." he agreed, "...but we've had very little if ANY relationship with the Morlocks still living under Manhattan...! You can't blame him for not wanting to risk exposing our students to people we don't know or trust...! Despite our differences, rather its living underground or set apart from society in a gated off mansion..., we've all had the same issues with trust...!" "The Morlocks will DO whateva I tell `em to, Warren...!" assured Cal, not seeing the point! "Whether you trust them or not...they wouldn't DO anythin' without my consent! Your students would be safe! Your SCHOOL would be safe!" he added, before storming off [still angry]! Angel returned to Xavier's Office... "I think you should reconsider Cal's offer...!" he said, having a change of heart! "Please...! Cal storms off angrily and you cringe and quiver like a frightened school girl, ready to do whatever he says to make him happy...!" laughed Forge, getting up from his chair! "I have a news flash for you, Warren..., --I don't make my decisions based on how CAL feels...! The STUDENTS are the important ones here... We CAN'T risk their safety just to appease your boyfriend!" "Cal's an X-MAN now..." argued Warren, his feathers ruffling as his adrenaline heighten...! "...HE wouldn't harm the students...!" "HE wouldn't..." agreed Forge, "...but that doesn't mean The MORLOCKS share his sentiments!" he countered! "Can YOU vouch for them...?" he asked, suddenly! "Are YOU willing to wager our student's lives on Cal's judgment...? If you are..., then I'll consider letting his Morlocks move in as teachers...! But if ANY of them so much as harms a HAIR on the head of one of our students...it's on YOUR head...!" Angel hesitated, suddenly unsure if having The Morlocks around was a good idea...? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pt-3<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< ELSEWHERE ON THE ESTATE Down by the lake running through the property... Original x-students [Iceman, Nightcrawler, Sunspot, Karma, Shadowcat, Rogue, Syran, Jubilee, Kitty Pride, and others] found themselves standing apart from the new students, hating to have to share living space, classroom space, and training sessions with the newbies! But while they HAD to be mindful and respectful during school hours [unable to refuse learning next to the newbies], they were better able to express their freedoms and differences on their own time, CHOOSING to sit separately and segregated along the water banks, where the original students gathered in a picnic setting, basking in the unusual tranquil weather as they frolicked and swam, playing amongst themselves while down river sat some of the newest arrivals; Tether, Fish, Ghost, Mole, Smoke, and Ladybug [teenage members of The Morlocks], sitting apart from `the surface freaks'! "Look at them..." said Tether [the teenage reptilian hiding in normal human form], staring at the `other' students playing upstream...! "...they think they too GOOD to hang with us...! What makes THEM think they any better than us...?!" "Because THEY grew up above ground..." said Smoke [a teenage boy with the power to transform into a puff of smoke], whispering in Tether's ear! "...in the SUN, getting suntanned like normal human beings...!" he added before backing away to see IF he could get under Tether's skin! "Fuck that..." said Tether, throwing his towel to the ground! "...we were ALL born equally..., we only started to differ when our powers began to manifest...!" he argued! "Ignore them..." yelled Ladybug [wearing a tight 2 piece bikini], standing at the top of a large bolder sitting in the center of the lake! "...pay attention to ME...!" she added, diving into the drink! "Dude...she's totally INTO you...!" said Smoke, watching Ladybug's splash into the water! "You THINK so...?" asked Tether, skeptically! Ladybug quickly resurfaced, tossing her wet hair from her face...! "Come on in the water...!" she invited, waving Tether in...! "See..." whispered Smoke, whizzing around Tether's head [in smoke form]...! "...she WANTS you...! Go ahead..., get that pussy...!" he insisted, solidifying his hands enough to shove Tether forward...! Tether ventured into the water, submerging himself in the cool wet lake, headed towards Ladybug's bobbing head! Once submerged up to his neck [where his feet no longer touched the bottom], he gently swam over to her as she smiled seductively and welcomed him with open arms! "Hi..." he smiled nervously, having always had a slight crush on her...! "Ever have your cock sucked...?" she asked bluntly, causing Tether to double-take...! "Huh...?" he asked, unsure he heard correctly! "Don't move...!" she said, taking a deep breath before disappearing underwater...! Tether felt hands on his waist, then felt his red swimming trunks being pulled down off his hips as a warm mouth suddenly wrapped around and enveloped his cock...! Tether looked around nervously at his friends sitting along the water banks, none of them paying him any attention as they went on about their play, allowing him to concentrate on the feeling happening to his cock as he treaded water and got his cock sucked simultaneously! Tether couldn't believe Ladybug was sucking his dick in public with their friends only yards away! He tried turning his back to them so they couldn't see the ecstasy written across his face, but Ladybug kept a firm hold on him, making it difficult to move as her mouth swallowed his whole, taking his entire [impressive] 10" schlong down her throat in one move [her lips touching fully into his groin as she suckled his shaft like drawing a thick milkshake through a straw]...! "Oh my god..." he thrilled, feeling her starting to suction as she suckled his entire erect cock from tip to base like an infant sucking its thumb! "...you're so GOOD at that..." he glee, blushing bashfully! "...how'd you learn to suck cock so well...? You've must have had a lot of practice...!" Then he thought for a moment, realizing that didn't sound too good...! "Oh, uh, I'm sorry...! I didn't mean for that to make it sound like you're a WHORE or anything...! I meant that as a compliment! I LIKED the way you suck cock! You're really great at it! I'm just staying...you must really like to suck cock to be so good...!" "Oh, I'm alright at it..." said Ladybug, perched back atop the boulder like she was before...! "...but I wouldn't say I was no expert...!" she added with a seductive grin, as Tether looked UP at her, wondering HOW she was up there AND sucking his cock at the same time...?? He looked down at the water, trying to see WHO was latched to his dick...? He could still feel the suctioning mouth wrapped around him, drawing him further down the back of its throat! He reached down and grasped the person's head, yanking them off his cock while pulling them up to the surface...! "FISH...!" he yelled, holding the amphibian's grey scaly head in his hands, his big drolly fish lips resembling huge pillows...! "hehehehe..." laughed the teenager, slipping from Tether's hands before diving back underwater and swimming away swiftly! "MOTHERFUCKER...!!" yelled Tether, grabbing the boulder Ladybug resided on, yanking it up out of the ground before hurling it upstream in Fish's direction! "Hey...incoming...!" yelled one of the old students [Sunspot], charging his body from the SUN, turning pitch-black in color [like an actual sunspot] before punching the boulder head-on, blowing it into a dozen pieces! Nightcrawler grabbed Multipleboy and Magma and teleported a few yards down; while Shadowcat [Kitty Pride] grabbed Wolvesbane and Karma, phasing them through the debris landing in their direction; and Amanda [the school's resident sorceress] created a protective barrier to shield the rest of the students [Iceman, Jubiless, Rogue, and Syran] from falling debris, which crumbled against her shields like a shower of stones falling from the sky! "What the fuck was THAT...?!" asked Bobby Drake [Iceman], once the danger passed! "I believe it came from THAT direction...!" pointed Kitty, downstream towards the new mutants...! From a distance they could see Ladybug buzzing overhead with her insect wings, shooting spitfire into the water from her mouth, as Tether kept diving under, trying to get away from her blasts! Just then the river suddenly froze over, as Tether and Fish sprung from the frozen lake like 2 jack-n-the-boxes! "What gives...?!??" asked Tether, freezing as his trunks lay frozen on the ice surface! The New Mutants [Tether, Fish, Ladybug, Smoke, Ghost, Mole, and Neanderthal] all gathered together once they noticed the old students coming their way...! "WHO froze the lake...?!" "WHO threw the boulder...?" asked Sunspot! "The boulder was a mistake..." explained Tether! "No one heard an apology...!" said Iceman! "No one GAVE one...!" challenged Smoke, not liking the old student's attitudes! "Maybe someone ought to teach you newbies some manners...?" said Rogue! "Maybe you should FIND someone to teach us...?" challenged Ladybug! "Don't think WE couldn't do it ourselves..." countered Karma, "...WE'VE been working as a team a lot longer than you guys have...!" "From where WE sit...yall powers don't come CLOSE to challenging ours...!" argued Smoke! "What'chall got...? A teleporter...a werewolf...a fireworks display...an ice sculpturer...a screamer...a strong guy...a multiple guy...and a couple of chicks! WE'VE got a reptile...a ghost...a firefly...a Neanderthal...a fish...smoke...and a mole! Yall don't stand a chance!" "Is THAT a challenge...?" asked Kitty, eager to show these newbies the error of their ways...! "COULD be...!" said Smoke, as everyone present looked around at everyone else..., wondering WHO would start the feud...?" With no one making a move, Sunspot was surprised when he suddenly felt a pair of invisible HANDS socking him in the fast! He fell backwards to the ground, as The Morlock Ghost climbed on top of him, then began pummeling him [the strongest mutant present] in the face with his fists! "Arrhhhhhhhh...!!" screamed Iceman, forming an ice-wall between the 2 groups with his bare hands...! Mole leaped down into the ground, digging himself a tunnel underneath Iceman's ice-wall [faster than an Olympic swimmer could win gold], popping up on the other side and tackling Bobby like a linebacker on the 10 yard line! Ladybug spit FIRE at the ice-wall, melting a hole through it as she jumped through and took to the air [preferring to attack from above! Syran took to the skies as well, hitting Ladybug with a sonic-blast from her mouth as she screamed at her in high pitch: `EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...!!!' Ladybug tumbled from the sky like a fly hit with a can of raid! However Syran's screams were quickly silenced when SMOKE suddenly appeared before her, choking her lungs as she lost descent and slammed into the ground like a fallen jetliner! Neanderthal and Tether punched and clawed their ways through Iceman's wall, as Jubilee counteracted by throwing a blast of disorienting fireworks in their way! Both men were temporarily blinded by the display, allowing Rogue to reach in and physically TOUCH Tether with her bare hands, a second of physical contact [skin to skin] rendering Tether unconscious for a few minutes while SHE obtained his powers, memories, and physical appearance..., --growing taller, greener, and scaly as she grew claws, sharp teeth and a tail! "Wow...!" she said, feeling Tether's powers swell inside her! When Neanderthal already started to recover from Jubilee's attack, Rogue countered him by slapping him silly with her tail, knocking him across the frozen lake! Wolvesbane transformed into a wolf [watching Sunspot struggle against an invisible ghost], and dove straight through the ghost after trying to tackle him off her friend, landing on the ground on the other side, while Sunspot still struggled to get free! Shadowcat [Kitty Pride] noticed Sunspot's dilemma as well, and used her powers of intangibility to match Ghost's, tackling him successfully as she knocked him off her teammate! Sunspot was free to stand as Mole tried to jump him from behind, easily getting knocked out when Sunspot turned and punched him square in the face! Multipleboy tried catching the elusive Fish, as Fish slithered out of Multipleboy's grasps no matter how many times he replicated his body! Soon there was nearly 2 dozen Multipleboys chasing one fish across the frozen pond, Fish slipping through Multi's fingers before finding a hole in the ice to slip through and escape! Amanda created a spell [waving her arms in a precise manner] to give Ghost's body density, solidifying his form and allowing him to be seen! Ghost [a 17 year old whose spent most of his teen years being invisible] was shocked to see his body suddenly materialize! But he didn't have long to ponder HOW it was done, cause he was quickly attacked by Wolvsbane who finally got the chance to tackle him, standing on his chest growling in his face! Smoke saw his teammates suddenly bested by what he thought was an inferior group, and moved in for the kill! That's when Karma [the resident psychic with the power to possess people's minds], seized Smoke's brain and ceased his attack! "Not bad for `a teleporter...a werewolf...a fireworks display...an ice sculpturer...a screamer...a strong guy...a multiple guy...and a couple of chicks!'" laughed Karma! "ENOUGH...!" shouted Angel, swooping in from overhead, his large white wings expanding 16 ft across as he came to a gentle landing by the edge of the lake! Calisto came running up seconds after...! "What's going ON here...?" asked Angel, looking around at all the damage and bodies lying about...! "We were just...playing...!" said Jubilee, hunching her shoulders as if nothing was wrong! "`Playing' eh...?" asked Angel, KNOWING that was an understatement! "That's what the Danger Room is for...!" he scorned, as the students started helping each other up off the ground...! "Smoke...?" called Calisto, calling to one of his best student... "I don't wanna talk about it...!" said Smoke [feeling played] as he transformed himself into smoke and blew away...! Angel and Cal watched the students heading back towards the mansion, the x-students gathered in one bunch, and The Morlocks in another...! "Yeah...they're starting to get along marvelously...!" said Angel [sarcastically], starting to believe Forge's way of thinking, wondering if it was a good idea to merge the 2 groups...? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BACK AT THE MANSION Level-2B, Underground Labs Forge walked into one of Dr. Mora MacTaggert's laboratories [nestled far beneath the mansion in steel bunker like levels], to find her testing one of the new mutants from Genosha [Darwin]! "How is everything down here, Mora...?" asked Forge [casually], as Darwin lay upside down submerged in a water tank]! "It's amazing..." thrilled Mora, taking a break from reading the results! "...his metabolic levels are off the charts...! His entire BODY adapts to his environment, making him awfully difficult to defeat...!" "Great..." said Forge, "...exactly WHAT does that mean...?" "It means: if he's submerged in water, he grows gills..., if he's in a fire, his SKIN becomes fireproof..., and if he's hit by a car or struck by something hard, his body becomes invulnerable!" "Amazing..." said Forge, as the black man exited the water tank [wearing only a pair of speedos]..., Forge noticed Darwin's gills and fish scales disappearing as his body readjusted to breathing normal air, but Forge's eyes couldn't help smoldering over Darwin's gorgeous muscles as they became more evident! "...how is his memory after his sessions with Xavier before he was whisked off to outer space...?" "Charles was WORKING on repairing the victims of Genosha's memories before he left..." revisited Mora, "...but he was still in the process of a full recovery when Xavier and The X-Men were taken..., and with no other psychic currently on the roster, we won't be able to learn all of their backgrounds until he returns...!" "IF he returns..." countered Forge, "...we STILL have no idea where The X-Men are, or WHAT happened to them...? I hazard to think what might happen to the school if they never return...!" "Then DON'T think about it...!" answered Mora, passing Darwin a dry towel! "As X-Men we're faced some pretty difficult times and have always come through on the other side...! Look at The Sentinels...Apocalypse...and Genosha...!" "You're right..." agreed Forge, "...but we've never been abducted by ALIENS before..., how can we be certain they'll return after this one...?" "We're never certain..." said Mora, storing Darwin's information in her computer files while Darwin returned topside to be with the others...! "...but we NEVER give up hope either...! It's what Xavier's dreams were based on!" Forge smiled, realizing Mora's words spoke true! The school would stay open [barring they found some suitable substitutes to teach classes in the absence of Xavier, Dr. McCoy, Storm, and the others]...! Mutants needed a place where they were safe, where they could test and hone their awesome powers, not become villains and outlaws simply because they society chased them before they had a chance to learn who and what they were...! For as long as there were new mutants, there was a need for `Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters!' tHE eND _______________________________________________________ If you would like to read MORE X-Men Tales, hit me up @ NPhillydogg@aol.com with your comments and/or suggestions. 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