I wrote this story several years ago during all of the hype for the release of the Xmen-2 movie. There is also a sequel to this story that I've been working on, but it has been on hiatus for quite awhile with the rest of my writing projects. I do intend to finish it at some point, though.

First of all, I would like to give full credit and express my appreciation for the writing talents of Babs Yerunkle for much of the inspiration that had initially fueled this story. I had thoroughly enjoyed her ongoing X-Man saga, but alas it seems that she too has entered a lengthy hiatus from writing that story. Even so, I still highly recommend it to anyone who has yet to read it.

Similar to her story, I have crafted this tale to be set in the X-men: Evolution universe. Likewise, the time index is similar for the story's characters (ie. at end of Season One), but with a slight difference in that I borrowed the character of Henry McCoy (aka: Beast) and worked him in earlier than he had been introduced in the series. What the hell, this is creative writing after all.

Official Disclaimer:
I acknowledge Marvel Entertainment's ownership of the distinctive characters and names within this story for which they hold Trademark(s) and that the inclusion of said characters within this story does not imply any authorization, support or agreement with Marvel Entertainment. This story is purely written under the Fair Use Clause for the purposes of Fan-Fiction and is not to be sold or distributed in any way that would constitute an infringement of Marvel Entertainment's undisputed ownership of any relevant elements for which they hold copyright.

The author maintains creative ownership of the story itself and grants BigCloset TopShelf permission to post it online for free viewing by this site's visitors.

It was turning out to be the fitting end to yet another day where everything just seemed to go wrong. A solitary teenager sat alone on the floor beside his locker in an all but deserted school hallway. The joyful voices of other teenagers could be heard faintly in the distance through a half-open window in a nearby classroom that was being swept out by the janitor. Even as far away from the window as he was, he could smell the distinctive autumn scent of decaying leaves in the air and listened to the distant laughter of his schoolmates as they reveled in their freedom at the end of another school day. He thought wistfully about how much he wanted to be out there among them, but he knew it wasn't to be.

Chris McGee, a surprisingly tiny figure for his 14 years, looked up at the different posters and notices on the bulletin board across from him for the umpteenth time while he waited. He checked his watch to try and figure out how much longer he should remain there. With a sad shake of his head, he sighed deeply as he discovered that his watch seems to be dead, again. It was bad enough that most kids in school thought he was a major jinx, but lately he'd been having so much bad luck that even he was starting to wonder if it might really be true.

He was a social outcast amongst his peers and had been one for as long as he could remember. More recently, he began to rationalize the behavior of others towards him in an attempt to salvage some emotional sanity out of his situation. The fact of the matter was that he was a bit different from other kids, and kids are very rarely equipped to tolerate, much less understand, anyone who doesn't 'fit in'. He was getting a lot better at emotionally detaching himself from his disappointing reality, but the teasing and tormenting by the other kids over the years had taken its toll on him. He'd learned long ago that while being alone wasn't a lot of fun, it was much less of a hassle.

Unfortunately for him, there were always those that weren't content to leave him to his personal solitude. Some kids have a genuine predatory aspect to their personalities and will actively seek out and attack anyone whom they perceive to be 'weaker'. There had been the occasional bullies over the years that had singled him out and managed to make his life even less pleasant than it already was. In spite of his actual age, Chris still looked as though he was still around 11 years old -- and was now significantly smaller than any other boy in school. Heck, even some of the girls were bigger and probably stronger than he was too.

His Mom also thought it was a little odd that he'd hardly developed at all and had him checked out by the family doctor, who had simply told her that some kids are just 'late bloomers'. Well, that had been back in the summer and Chris was still waiting with fingers crossed that puberty would kick in sometime soon. Until it did, he was literally at the mercy of anyone who wanted to target him for his smaller size and build. At present, there was one person in particular, along with his usual group of cronies, who was making it his personal mission in life to ensure that Chris was as miserable as possible.

Almost on cue, his relative peace was suddenly shattered by a loud shout from the other end of the hallway.

"Hey Rob!! There he is!"

He grimaced as he glanced down the hallway and saw Jeff, Stan, and Robbie as they started to walk quickly towards him.

"I thought you'd try to hide out inside, you little geek!" Robbie shouted with a hint of sadistic satisfaction in his voice. "You now owe me double, and I think we're going to have to teach you a lesson so you'll learn it isn't wise to try and dodge me!"

Robbie, in his sophomore year, was a typical jock-mentality bully who had been tormenting Chris since the beginning of the semester. He had a reputation around the school for being hard on the freshmen students, but Chris seemed to be his favorite prey. More recently he'd been extorting money from him each week and Chris didn't have any money left to give him this time. He'd hoped that if he dropped out of sight and hid for a while after school that Robbie and his goons would assume he'd already gone home. That might have bought him a little extra time to try and convince his Mom to give him another advance on his allowance.

He knew he shouldn't be letting people like Robbie bully him, but the guy was a lot bigger than he was. Robbie had already pounded him on at least two occasions that semester for no apparent reason and each time it took over a week for the bruises to finally heal. He told his mother that it had happened in gym class, but he knew that she wasn't entirely convinced. If he turned up with bruises again, there would be little chance of him being able to explain it away and she'd undoubtedly get involved and probably make things a lot worse.

Reporting Robbie to the High School's administration wasn't an option, either. Even if he did, he knew that no one would back him up since most people were just as afraid of Robbie as he was. That would ultimately boil down to it being his word against Robbie's. Regardless of whether he was believed or not, Robbie would be sure to get him back for reporting him in the first place and Chris had no doubt that Robbie might seriously harm him then.

With Robbie and his goons advancing on him, Chris quickly deduced that he was in for a beating no matter what, so he sprang to his feet and ran in the opposite direction. He'd recently discovered that he seemed to be able to run a bit faster and had a little more stamina than he normally did. He hoped that it meant he was finally starting to develop some muscle tone. Without even a backwards glance, he ran down the various corridors as fast as he could and made his way towards the street exit. As he rounded the last corner and saw the exit just ahead of him, he felt certain that he was going to escape this time. Before he could even finish that thought, he was suddenly tackled from out of nowhere and sent crashing hard into a row of lockers.

He was momentarily dazed from the impact and looked up to see Stan standing over him with a triumphant grin on his face and Robbie slowing down to a brisk walk just behind him. Stan had apparently run in another direction to head him off and was waiting for him when he ran around the corner. His head was already starting to clear up, but he was still too dizzy to try to get to his feet. He was roughly seized by Robbie, who clamped one of his hands over his mouth and then dragged him into a nearby washroom.

Chris was frantic with fear and struggled to break free of Robbie's iron grip while his two friends made sure the washroom was empty and then stood guard at the door.

"Okay McGee," Robbie snarled menacingly as he pushed him to the floor. "Let's have what you owe me, and if you don't have it I'm going to make you really sorry!"

"I... I.... I'm sorry Robbie... I don't have any money! Please... I swear I'll get it to you tomorrow somehow!" Chris said in a choked whisper.

"You think I'm going to believe a wussy little geek like you? I know you're holding out on me... and if you're not, I don't give a shit. I think you need a little reminder about who's boss around here!"

He then struck Chris across his face with the back of his hand for emphasis. The blow practically rattled Chris' teeth and briefly stunned him. He then signaled for one of his friends to come over to hold Chris down. Chris struggled in vain as Stan pinned his arms behind his back and Robbie proceeded to strip his pants off of him. He searched all the pockets and seemed relatively unconcerned that he didn't find any money. His indifference suggested that he didn't really care about the money and was simply using it as an excuse to further torment the younger boy.

"I'm surprised that you actually wear boys' underwear. You're such a little sissy I was almost certain you'd be wearing panties," Robbie said with a sneer, to which his two friends laughed in agreement.

Robbie reached behind Chris' head and grabbed a handful of his shoulder-length locks in a tight grip.

"You look like a fucking girl, McGee! Why don't you tell your mommy to bring you in for a real haircut?" He said as he gave Chris' hair a painful tug.

Chris could feel his eyes begin to water and he frantically tried to maintain some control over his emotions. Crying in front of bullies was like bleeding in the water when there were sharks circling you. Chris knew that they'd only torment him harder if it happened, but as hard as he tried he could feel himself losing the battle and his fear and anxiety began to get the better of him. Lately his emotions seemed to be a lot closer to the surface than he was used to, but he'd assumed it was only because he'd been more stressed out than usual over the past few weeks.

"Awww look.... the little sissy is gonna cry now!" Jeff taunted from the bathroom entrance where he was keeping watch.

Stan, who was still holding Chris' arms painfully behind his back looked into his face as the first tears fell down his cheeks.

"I don't know, Rob... are you sure this is a boy? He sure seems to look and act a lot like a girl," he added with a chuckle.

Robbie, who was enjoying every moment of the tormenting, ran his hand along Chris' bare thigh. Chris tried to recoil from his touch but got a quick slap on the leg for it.

"Hmm... you might have a point, Stan. These legs are too soft and smooth for a boy. Is that what your problem is, McGee? Are you really a chick pretending to be a guy?"

Chris, whose emotional control had completely disintegrated by that point, was too distraught to answer and only shook his head. He could feel his lower lip starting to tremble and the tears began flowing in earnest down his face.

"Don't cry, honey..." Robbie said in a mocking sympathetic tone. "You make a much prettier girl than a boy, so I can't imagine why you're unhappy admitting that you're really a girl."

The three of them continued to laugh at Chris and verbally torment him for a few more minutes. Eventually Robbie began to get bored with the situation and decided to wrap things up. He stuffed Chris' pants into a toilet and promptly urinated on them, telling Chris he ought to 'show off his girlie legs' when he walked home. For a moment it seemed as though he was going to be satisfied with that and simply leave, but then he looked back at Chris with a strange and unsettling look that caused Chris' stomach to knot up.

"I don't beat up on sissy little girls like you, so instead you'll have to pay another penalty for trying to run away from us."

Robbie then motioned for Stan to force Chris up on his knees while he started to undo his pants.

"Uh, Rob... wait a sec..." Jeff said in a cautious tone from the doorway.

"Hey... I'm doing the little sissy here a favor," Robbie said casually as he pulled his penis out. "She's confused and thinks that she's a boy, so I'm helping to remind her of what girls do. Come on honey, you know what to do and you know you want to..."

Chris was momentarily stunned with disbelief that Robbie actually expected him to suck him off, but could tell from that eerie look in his tormentor's eyes that he was absolutely serious. He struggled frantically to break free from Stan's grip, but Stan only held him tighter and started to force his hands upwards toward his shoulder blades and in doing so pushed Chris' face closer to Robbie's waiting penis.

In the doorway, Jeff was definitely not amused by the turn that things were taking.

"Hey you guys, that shit isn't funny! Knock it off!" He said with some anger in his voice. "You said we were only going to have a bit of fun with the kid, you never said anything about this. Let him go right now, Stan... he's had enough and if we're smart we'd better clear out of here right now!"

"I'll decide when the little sissy here has had enough!" Robbie replied angrily as he glared at Jeff. "You can take off if you don't have the balls to stick around!"

Jeff looked at him in silence for a moment then simply said, "Fuck you, guys. This is total bullshit. I won't have any part of this, so I'm outta here!"

He kicked the bathroom door open with a loud bang and disappeared.

With the brief interruption passed, Robbie then turned his attention back to his victim and attempted to force Chris' mouth towards his penis.

By that point, Chris was in such a state of severe panic and desperation that he wasn't even able to think coherently. The combination of stress, fear and the intense pain in his arms all seemed to build up exponentially within him and then finally overwhelmed him. He felt a strange sensation running through his body and then... nothing at all. He'd finally fainted.

Far off in upstate New York, in a small town named Bayville, a lone figure sat before an elaborate computer console. His work in the computer's database was suddenly interrupted by a flashing indicator on a nearby screen. He quickly closed the file he was working on and transferred the information from the alert onto the main screen. He deftly navigated through a series of maps ranging down in scale through continental, regional, state and then finally to a street map complete with a flashing red dot showing the location of the alert. A soft, computer-generated voice recited the data now being displayed on the main screen alongside of the city map.

"Unknown mutant signature detected... Location: Lansing, Michigan... Identity: Unknown... "

The man frowned slightly as he read the data on the screen. According to the readings, it was definitely another manifestation of the types of power signatures often attributed to people with the X-gene. The system constantly monitors for any occurrences of such power signatures and brings an alert when it discovers anything not already in the databases. Usually there's more information to go on in tracking down the source of the manifestation, but sometimes the blips are vague and one had to resort to more time-consuming means of investigating. He took a long sip from his coffee and then got to work accessing various databases in Lansing via the Internet.

Chris slowly found himself returning to his senses. At first, he wasn't quite sure where he was and for a moment hoped that everything he'd remembered before blacking out had only been a bad dream. He became aware of the cold tile underneath him and realized with a sense of dread that he was still in the washroom at school. He cautiously opened his eyes, fully expecting to find Robbie and Stan still waiting for him to come to his senses enough so they could finish forcing him to blow Robbie.

He was surprised to see that the two of them were nowhere to be seen and he was completely alone in the bathroom. It was also kind of dark in there for some reason. He then noted that the lights were all off, leaving the late afternoon daylight from the window as the only light source. The garbage bins were overturned and some of their contents were strewn across the floor, looking as if they'd been bowled over by someone leaving in a big hurry. He deduced that his fainting spell must have startled Robbie and Stan enough that they had decided to take off. He winced at the pain in his stiff arms as he flexed them gingerly and noted the bruises starting to form on them. Almost immediately, he felt his eyes water up and begin to spill over again. Yep, this was definitely one of the shittier days he's had in awhile.

He remembered Robbie throwing his pants into the toilet and wondered how he was supposed to go home without any pants to wear. He slowly tried to get up on his feet, but immediately felt a wave of dizziness and a pounding headache that forced him to ease back down into a sitting position. It didn't look as though he'd be able to go anywhere for at least a few more minutes.

With a loud slam, the washroom door suddenly flew open and two teachers came barging in with Jeff right behind them. They momentarily took in the state of the washroom and then rushed over to him.

"Chris McGee, are you alright? Don't try to move and just sit still for a moment," said the first teacher that Chris recognized as his Geography teacher.

He quickly looked Chris over from head to toe and then helped him stand up. Chris was relieved that he wasn't overcome by another bout of dizziness, but that headache was still there and caused him to sway a bit as he took a few steps.

"Mr. Samuels here," the teacher said as he gestured towards Jeff, "told us that you were being assaulted in here. We're going to call your mother to pick you up and bring you to the hospital for a more thorough examination. We'll need a full account from you of what took place here, and I can assure you that those responsible shall be dealt with!"

They escorted him to the main office where they had him lie down on the small sofa in the Vice Principal's office. Someone had given him a small pair of track pants to wear that they'd brought in from the Phys Ed department -- the girls department, Chris noted sadly.

The teacher in question looked a little embarrassed with the selection but explained that it was all he could find that looked as though it would fit him. Chris couldn't really argue with that logic and was grateful just to have something to properly cover himself up with. They brought him a glass of water to drink, but he found to his dismay that his hands were trembling so badly he couldn't hold it properly. Instead, he lay back down on the small sofa and closed his eyes while they waited. The headache was a little more manageable now, but it was still quite uncomfortable.

Before long, his mother arrived and was escorted into the office where Chris and the Vice Principal were waiting for her. She immediately noticed the fresh bruises on Chris' arms and, after some fussing over him; she turned to the Vice Principal who told her what he knew of the incident. When he was finished, he prompted Chris to fill in any details that they didn't know. Chris guessed that Jeff had gone straight to the administration and told them what was going on in that washroom, so perhaps Jeff wasn't a complete jerk after all. He decided not to tell about Jeff's involvement or the part where the other two were about to force him to give Robbie a blowjob since it was evident that Jeff hadn't mentioned that in his story, either. They knew just about everything else anyway so he didn't want to make himself even more of a target for Robbie by adding anything else to it. He tried to avoid looking the Vice Principal in the eye and told him that he didn't have anything else to add.

He sat quietly on the sofa while his mother and the Vice Principal discussed things. It was agreed that Chris would be excused from school for the next few days to give him a chance to recover. In the meantime, Robbie and Stan were both being expelled and Jeff, who had already admitted his own involvement, would face a one-week suspension. Chris was extremely worried about what would happen if Robbie got his hands on him again. It wasn't even his fault that those two were getting kicked out of school, but he knew that Robbie would blame him for it anyways. He figured he'd be safe at school, but he'd have to be very careful going to and from school from now on.

His mother and the Vice Principal finished their discussion and then she and Chris headed to their car so she could take him to the hospital for an examination. The school had a zero-tolerance policy for people like Robbie (now that they were aware of the problem) and they were prepared to make a legal case out of it. Any injuries that he might have -- no matter how slight -- were to be carefully documented as evidence. The school's administration had already called the police, so at least in the short-term Robbie and Stan would have other problems to deal with. If nothing else, that should grant Chris at least a few days peace.

While they were driving to the hospital, Chris felt himself slip into a bit of a daze and was only partially listening to what his mother was saying as she drove. It was to be expected that she was incredibly worried about him and relieved that he appeared to be okay, but she was disappointed that he would try to keep the troubles he'd been having at school from her. Chris knew that she'd never understand because, like many adults, she just couldn't accept that another teenager was capable of being as vicious and sadistic as Robbie was. While they all mean really well, parents and teachers just don't understand that they can't be everywhere at all times. The instant their backs are turned is when people like Robbie will strike. Another encounter with Robbie was inevitable. The question was: when would it happen?

As they pulled up into the parking lot of the hospital, Chris started to feel a little nauseous. He'd always felt uncomfortable around doctors and going to a hospital was nearly enough to give him an anxiety attack. His mother, knowing his discomfort with such places, hugged him close to her as they entered the building and tried to comfort him. After a brief wait in admitting, Chris was brought into another room with his mother to be given a brief examination by a doctor. He poked and prodded Chris for a while and then told them that, other than the bruises to his arms, Chris seemed to be in good shape.

As part of the official documentation for his files, the doctor had a nurse come in with a camera to photograph the marks on Chris' arms. As soon as the first flash went off, Chris could feel that persistent headache he'd been feeling start to flare up. He winced and gritted his teeth as he tried to fight back against the throbbing in his head. After a few more flashes from the camera, Chris' headache had become so unbearable that he started to sway a little. It was fortunate for him that he was seated on the examination bench because he doubted he'd be able to stand at that moment. He desperately wished that everything would be over soon so he could go back home and lie down. He was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with each passing minute now and he was concerned that he might pass out again. That'd be all he needed, too -- fainting in a hospital in front of a nurse! They'd probably try to keep him overnight if that happened, so he was determined to try and hold himself together until they could leave.

The nurse had just told him that she was nearly finished when she suddenly stopped taking pictures and looked at the camera curiously.

"Oh dear, it seems that the batteries have run down," she told them apologetically. "I'm so sorry to have to keep you waiting, but I need to get some new batteries before I can finish up in here."

His mother told her that it was all right and sat down to read a magazine while the nurse left. Chris was having major difficulty trying to sit upright by this point and knew that he had to say something to his mother. He figured she'd be really worried if she knew just how uncomfortable he was feeling then, but he was starting to get a little scared himself. Just what exactly was wrong with him, anyways? He'd experienced bad headaches in the past -- come to think of it, more recently in the past few weeks -- but nothing as bad as this. If that wasn't bad enough, he could feel some kind of strange 'tingly' sensation in his skin and throughout his body.

"M--Mom..." he said weakly, "I... think I need an aspirin or something..."

At the sound of his voice, his mother quickly looked up at him from her magazine with concern in her eyes. She quickly jumped up from the chair and rushed over to him.

"Chris! Oh my god... you look so pale! What's wrong?!" She asked as she raised her hand to feel his forehead.

As soon as she made contact with his forehead, there was a brief flash of light followed by her loud shriek as she reflexively pulled her hand back. Just then, the nurse had returned and noticed Mrs. McGee rapidly waving her hand as if she'd burnt it somehow. She took a quick look at her hand and saw what appeared to be small scorch marks on her fingertips. She looked back at Chris for a moment and then quickly ran out of the room to fetch the doctor. Just as she was leaving, the headache overpowered Chris again and he felt himself falling back on the examination bench as blackness overcame him once more.

It was another 'normal' morning at the mansion as the various residents hustled about getting ready to meet the new day. Most of the younger residents had rushed through breakfast as many teens do and were all scrambling about at the last minute looking for their school bags. It was pretty much the same every morning, yet the adults of the Xavier Institute always found it amusing to watch. A bit of mayhem was always expected so they usually observed from the doorway of the dining room as their young charges rushed off to school.

"Damn it Kitty!" Shouted a shapely redheaded girl as she chased a smaller girl through the main hall, "I wanted to wear that blouse today! How about asking first before you borrow my clothes!"

"Wow... like, chill out, okay Jean?" The smaller brunette replied as she ran straight at the front door and passed right though it. From the other side of the door her voice could be faintly heard, "I'm sorry... like, I didn't know it was going to spaz you out like this! You can borrow anything of mine anytime you want, okay?"

Jean glanced at the front door and it opened for her just as she got near it.

"Great," She grumbled quietly to herself, "as if I could fit into any of your clothes, half-pint!"

She headed through the open door and down the front steps where she could see just about everyone else waiting for her. Scott and Evan were throwing a football back and forth and Kitty was watching them while also keeping a careful eye on Jean as she came outside. Rogue was standing by herself, as usual, listening to loud music through her Walkman headphones that Jean was able to hear even from over 30 feet away. She shook her head and wondered how Rogue had managed to avoid going deaf so far.

As soon as the door swung shut behind her, another teen appeared in the front hall in a puff of blue smoke.

"Jean! Kitty! Haf you left already?"

He paused for a moment as he heard familiar voices outside beyond the door and then promptly disappeared in another puff of smoke.

"I'm startin' to wonder if that blue elf even remembers how to use a door," grumbled a deep voice from behind the group observing from the doorway.

"Ah, Logan..." replied a slightly older-looking man seated in a wheelchair, "Kurt is usually very careful about when and where he uses his mutant abilities. There's really no harm if he chooses to indulge himself a little here at the Institute, is there?"

"I s'pose not," Logan admitted, "but it'd be nice if he could show as much enthusiasm for trainin' as he does when he's leavin' for school."

The group moved to the window facing the front of the mansion where they watched the last of the kids departing until they passed through the main gates of the Institute's grounds. Shortly thereafter, a large, blue-furred muscular man entered the room with a series of computer printouts in one of his enormous hands.

"Good morning, Hank," said a tall dark-skinned woman. "We missed you at breakfast. Have you been working all night?"

"I'm terribly sorry Ororo, but I was a bit caught up in my work and lost track of time. Charles, I think I have found some more leads on that unidentified signature you found yesterday."

"Indeed, please... do sit down Henry and tell us what you've found," answered Xavier as he maneuvered his wheelchair over next to a table and a set of comfortable sitting chairs.

Henry McCoy, the newest faculty instructor at the Xavier Institute and also a mutant is an accomplished scientist in his own right. Aside from being a professor of various sciences such as Chemistry, Physics and Biology, he is also extremely adept in the newer field of Computer Science. The four of them all gathered around as he passed around the new printouts and gave a brief lecture on his findings.

"It isn't much to go on, but I was able to get a clue as to a possible identity on this new mutant signature in Lansing, Michigan. Fortunately many medical facilities keep their patient records computerized and I was fortunate to be able to.... shall we say... 'encourage' their computers to share their information with me."

Charles Xavier chuckled a bit from his wheelchair

"Henry... I do hope that you were as careful in your... 'creativity' as you were thorough. It might be a bit difficult to explain to the authorities if you were ever traced."

"No need to worry, Charles. You can be assured that I was very careful. Anyhow, I discovered a file that was opened yesterday evening for a young teen who had been admitted first as an outpatient and then ended up being kept overnight. Apparently this boy had been the recipient of an attack of some sort at the local High School and was brought to the hospital at the request of the school's administration so that any evidence of injury could be properly documented."

"So... you think this kid was attacked by our new blip?" Logan asked

"Well, at first yes... but then, when I looked further into the file I noted a couple of interesting notations by the attending physician. The file states that the patient had collapsed just as they were finishing up with a routine examination. He was admitted and kept overnight for observation in case he'd sustained some sort of head trauma that they hadn't detected."

"Were there any X-rays taken? Did he have any head injuries?" Xavier asked pointedly.

"Ah... this is what I found to be rather intriguing. They weren't able to X-ray him at all. The hospital was reporting a series of system irregularities last night and their Radiology department lost all electrical power as soon as the boy had been brought in. Believing it to be a simple malfunction, they had the boy removed and re-scheduled for the following morning but as soon as he'd been taken from the room everything seemed to function normally."

Henry paused and looked over at Xavier, who had folded his hands under his chin and was frowning thoughtfully. After a moment he nodded back to Henry and encouraged him to continue.

"The overnight staff had a few interesting observations about the boy as well. He'd remained unconscious until shortly after being returned from the aborted X-ray attempt. When he was informed that he was being kept overnight, he got a bit hysterical and they had to sedate him. Two attending nurses reported receiving 'a painful electrical jolt' when they touched him but it was dismissed as being an unusual static discharge of some kind."

"You say that this boy had been the victim of an attack earlier that day?" Charles asked. "I'm guessing that incident coincided with the mutant signature we'd detected. If this boy does in fact possess the X-gene and was under severe emotional duress, then his mutant ability would likely have manifested quite noticeably. Was there any information as to the identity of his supposed attackers?"

Henry smiled and nodded his head.

"Great minds do think alike it seems, Charles! Yes, there was a police report on two older teenagers in connection with this incident. The police are currently looking for one of them, but the other one appears to have been registered as a patient at that same hospital -- and he was admitted only a half hour after the first boy was."

Ororo Munroe, a little unsettled by this news asked, "What happened to that other boy, Hank? I do hope that his injuries aren't serious!"

It was an all-too-common and unfortunate pattern that most people with the X-gene mutation manifest their abilities in early adolescence, and usually in situations of extreme emotional stress. Every so often an injury can result since the young adolescent typically has no knowledge or control over what is happening to them. This was one of the primary reasons for the existence of the Xavier Institute; so that such people might have a place to receive adequate reassurance and training to assist them in controlling their new gifts. It is very important to locate these new mutants and determine the nature of their abilities as soon as possible, since some of these young people can be a potential danger to themselves and those around them.

"He had what were reported to be moderate burns on both of his hands as well as symptoms that are consistent with one who has received a substantial yet non-lethal electrical shock." Henry replied matter-of-factly. "He was treated and released into police custody. The police report of the arresting officers states that the accused claimed the younger boy was some kind of 'monster' and tried to kill him."

There was silence as the four of them digested the news. After a few moments, Xavier looked around at the others seated about the table.

"We'll have to go to Lansing very soon to meet with this boy. Assuming that the hospital releases him today, he'll no doubt be kept home from school for a day or two. Logan, Ororo, we will go out there tomorrow morning... and I think we should bring a couple of our students with us. This boy will be more likely to accept help from us if he has a few people closer to his own age to relate to."

"Certainly, Charles. Whom did you have in mind?" Ororo asked.

He considered for a moment and then, with a slight smile on his face replied, "I think Scott and Rogue would be excellent for this trip."

Logan raised an eyebrow and coughed a little nervously, "Uh... Chuck, are you sure that's wise? I mean, Scott I can understand... the kid's a natural leader, but Rogue...."

"The nature of Rogue's mutant ability makes her perfect for this encounter," Xavier replied and then looked over at Henry. "Your research would seem to indicate that the nature of his mutation has something to do with physical contact. Rogue knows better than anyone what it's like to live like that and has the best chance of getting through to this boy in the event that we run into to any problems. Scott is the logical choice to counter-balance Rogue's somewhat... eccentric personality."

"That's puttin' it lightly," Logan grumbled to himself.

"We'll discuss it with the two of them when they return after school. I'll go and make the necessary arrangements to have them both excused from classes tomorrow and then we'll leave first thing in the morning. I have a strange feeling about this new mutant, though..."

Xavier paused to consider that thought and then shrugged it off. They'd get a clearer idea of what was going on when they met with the boy the following day. The meeting came to an end and the four of them returned to their various regular duties around the Institute.

Chris slowly began to become aware of background noise as he started to wake up that morning. Even before he'd opened his eyes he'd deduced that he wasn't in his bed at home from the types of sounds going on around him. He recognized the slight antiseptic scent in the air that is common to most hospitals... and suddenly remembered where he was.

More memories of the previous day began to return and he shuddered as he recalled being attacked by Robbie and his friends after school. He examined his arms and noted the ugly bruises from where Stan had been holding them. Involuntarily, his eyes watered a bit as he remembered what they were about to force him to do with Robbie before he'd blacked out that first time. Damn them... why couldn't they have just left him alone?

"Oh, good morning Christy! I'm glad to see that you're finally awake," said a voice from the doorway.

Chris glanced over to the empty patient's bed across from him and wondered whom the person in the doorway had been talking to. He looked to the figure in the doorway and saw an attractive-looking woman in hospital scrubs with a clipboard under her arm. She was looking right at him with a pleasant smile on her face.

"My name is Janet. I've come to bring you down to your re-scheduled X-ray appointment," she said cheerfully.

She disappeared briefly from the doorway and then returned, pushing a wheelchair in front of her. She parked the wheelchair close to the bed and then gently took hold of one of Chris' wrists to check his pulse. For a brief moment, Chris had a strong instinct to recoil from her touch as if he was expecting something bad to happen, but nothing did. After a few moments, she let go of his wrist and then readied her stethoscope.

"I just need to have a quick listen to your breathing, Christy." She said as she warmed up the receptor with her hands.

Chris was still wondering why this nurse kept calling him Christy, but said nothing while she gently loosened the top of his gown and placed the receptor on his chest. After a few moments of listening to him breathe, she seemed satisfied and withdrew the instrument.

"Dear, dear... what happened to your arms, sweetie?" She said as she noted the purple bruises on them. "I hope whoever did that to you gets suitably punished for it. Some boys just seem to think that girls are their personal property."

From the manner in which she was speaking to him, Chris finally started to put it together. This nurse thinks he's a girl! He glanced down and noticed some of his reddish-brown locks resting on his shoulders. Combined with his smaller frame and smooth skin, he could sort of see why he might look a bit like a young girl. He cringed as he had a quick flashback to the scene in the washroom the day before and remembered how they kept calling him a girl.

"Well, come on Christy," she said as she pulled the blankets aside and gently helped him climb out of bed. "I've got to get you down to Radiology."

"Uh..." he began in a hoarse whisper and noted how dry his throat was. "My name's Chris, not Christy, and why do I need to have an X-ray?"

She didn't react at all to his attempt at correcting her. She simply settled him into the wheelchair and then pushed him out into the hallway.

"Your file says that you had been attacked yesterday and were experiencing extreme headaches afterwards. The attending physician had ordered some X-rays to check for possible head injuries, but the Radiology department had some technical problems yesterday evening and had to re-schedule you."

Chris briefly recalled the searing headache he'd experienced the previous day and was relieved that it had finally gone away. Maybe a night's rest was all he needed to recover from the stress of the previous day. He was feeling a lot better than he did yesterday and hoped that they'd let him go home soon.

When they got to the Radiology Dept, the technician brightened up as soon as he saw Chris being wheeled in.

"Ah... Christy, you're looking much better this morning! I'm certain that you don't remember being here last night, but since we couldn't get your X-ray's done then that gives us the chance to meet while you're awake."

Chris took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Here was yet another person that had mistaken him for a girl. That seemed to be happening a lot lately, but he didn't feel like correcting them at that point. If they wanted to think he was a girl that was fine, as long as they got through with this X-ray business as fast as possible so he could get out of there.

Nurse Janet helped him climb up onto the large platform and had him lie down. The technician covered him from the neck down with a heavy lead apron and then started to position the arm of the X-ray machine over his head. Almost immediately, Chris felt his anxiety begin to build again. Hospitals had always made him feel uneasy, but large pieces of equipment like this really unsettled him. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine that he was back home in his bedroom to keep himself calm.

Even under the lead apron his trembling must have been obvious. The technician probably commented on it to Nurse Janet, because he could just make out her whispered reply, "she's really scared... try to do this as quickly as possible."

Chris listened to them walk over to where the personnel shield was and then heard the technician call out, "Okay Christy, I know you're a little frightened but try not to move, okay dear? This will just take a moment."

Chris drew a deep breath and waited. Nothing happened. After a few moments, he exhaled and tried to listen to what the technician was muttering about over behind the personnel shield.

"... can't understand... ...like last night... what the hell..."

He heard steps approach him and then Nurse Janet's soothing voice as she stood beside him.

"I'm sorry Christy, it's just a momentary delay... the technician is having trouble with the equipment again."

Chris thought again about how they kept calling him 'Christy' and was starting to get a little peeved. Due to the delay with the X-ray equipment, he decided that he might as well clear up this impression they had that he was a girl. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Um, Nurse Janet," he began, "I don't really want to make too big a deal out of this, but my name is Chris, not 'Christy'. I'm getting the impression that everyone thinks I'm a girl."

From the look of confusion and then shock on her face, it was quite clear that was precisely what she'd thought.

"You mean that you're... oh my! I'm so sorry dear!" She stammered as she covered her mouth with a hand to suppress a giggle. "It's just that, your hair and skin... your pretty face... are you sure you're not a girl?"

That ticked him off.

"Of course I'm sure!!" he said indignantly.

Realizing her mistake, she apologized and promised not to call him Christy anymore. Chris, while still a bit annoyed, noticed with some interest that at least he wasn't feeling quite as nervous anymore and went back to thinking about hopefully going home soon.

Almost immediately, the technician announced he'd gotten the problem fixed and called Janet back behind the shield with him. The X-ray machine hummed for a split-second and then the technician returned to load another plate underneath him while Nurse Janet had Chris roll onto his side. After that shot was taken, Nurse Janet was back to remove the lead apron and help him back down off the platform. She seemed to be looking at him a bit more intensely now, trying to decide how she'd been mistaken about his gender before.

Nurse Janet, still insisting that he ride in the wheelchair, made idle conversation with him as she transported him back to his room. She told him that his mother was going to be arriving in a little while to take him home and in the meantime they'd see about getting him something to eat since she assumed he must be hungry by now.

Until she'd mentioned it, Chris hadn't even remembered that he hadn't eaten since lunchtime the previous day. He knew that he ought to be famished but, other than a mild craving, he really wasn't terribly hungry. When he tried to tell this to Nurse Janet, she wouldn't hear of it and told him that she was going to personally ensure that he eat something before she allowed him to leave. Chris knew that she couldn't really stop him from being released, but he didn't want to fight her on it just the same. She'd been really nice to him and she was only doing her job after all, so why should he give her a hard time over it?

Try as he might though, he didn't really have much of an appetite. He could only make himself eat half of what Nurse Janet had brought for him. Although she was disappointed, she seemed to understand that he genuinely wasn't very hungry and didn't try to force him to eat the rest.

Not long afterward, his mother had finally arrived with a set of clothes for him. For a moment he was so happy to see her that he just grabbed her in a tight embrace and held on. Neither of them said anything for a moment as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"Dear... I'm so relieved to see you're feeling better today. You had me really worried yesterday!"

Chris slowly let go of her and sat back. He sniffled a bit and realized that he was even crying just a little. Normally he'd be a bit embarrassed from displaying his emotions so easily, but this time he didn't care. Lately he'd been feeling a lot closer to her and having her there was a comfort to him that he found difficult to put into words. He noticed some small bandages covering the fingertips on her right hand and looked at her questioningly.

Realizing what he'd been looking at, his mother only smiled and told him it was nothing -- only a mild accident with the teakettle that morning. She quickly changed the subject and urged him to get dressed so she that could take him home. Chris was certainly eager to leave, so he rapidly gathered up the clothes and stepped into the washroom to change.

Scott Summers knocked politely for the second time on the door and waited for a reply. He was starting to get impatient and wondered why it took them so long to come to the door. It was now the regularly scheduled time for the Institute’s residents to study and do homework, though he seriously doubted that either Rogue or Kitty were studying in their room. He leaned closer to the door and could faintly hear Kitty chattering away to someone on the phone. Probably to that Lance Alvers again, he supposed. Rogue was likely occupied at destroying her eardrums with that portable stereo of hers so she wouldn't be able to hear him... and Kitty seemed content to ignore him. This was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Kitty, come on!" He yelled as he banged loudly on the door. "I have to talk to Rogue!"

It would be a considerable breach of Institute courtesy if he simply opened the door to their room and walked in, but he was just about at the end of his patience. The Professor had told him that he needed to speak to both Rogue and himself down in his study and Scott didn't want to keep the Professor waiting. Just as he'd made up his mind and began to reach for the doorknob, he fell backwards with surprise as Kitty stuck her head right through the door and gave him an annoyed look.

"Like, hold your horses Scott! What do you want?" She said irritably.

"Geez Kitty! You nearly gave me a heart attack! I really hate it when you do stuff like that!"

He picked himself up off the floor and brushed himself off.

"Can you please tell Rogue that the Professor wants to see her down in his study right now?"

"Okay, whatever..." she replied and withdrew herself back through the door.

A few moments later, Rogue came out and gave Scott her usual grumpy stare.

"What did Ah do this time?" She asked in her peculiar Southern accent while placing her hands on her hips. Despite her sullen demeanor, it was a rather striking pose; one which reminded Scott that Rogue was definitely a girl under all her tough and standoffish exterior.

"Uh... nothing, I think. Whatever it is, the Professor wants to see us both."

Rogue shrugged and trudged off towards the stairs without even waiting for him. Scott shook his head slightly and followed. He reminded himself that Rogue wasn't actually as rude as she tried to make people believe, but only acted that way to keep people at a distance. The unfortunate nature of her mutant power had forced her to adapt her behavior like that for the general safety of those around her. Before she came to the Institute, she had lived a very solitary existence and had no friends at all. Even after all the time she'd spent living at the Institute with them, she was still a very hard person to know. Even so, he was glad that she was there and was a part of the team. She may be a bit abrupt at times, but she was fiercely loyal to him and the others.

When they arrived in the Professor's study, he motioned for them to sit down as he wheeled out from behind his desk to join them.

"Scott, Rogue... I apologize for interrupting your evening studies but there's a matter that I need both of your assistance with."

Scott and Rogue looked briefly at each other, somewhat puzzled, but neither said anything and turned back to the Professor.

"Tomorrow," Xavier continued, "I would like you both to accompany myself, Mr. Logan and Ms. Munroe on a trip to where we're hoping to meet with a newly-discovered young mutant."

They each exchanged glances again, but this time it was Rogue who actually decided to speak up.

"Ah can understand why you asked fer Scott here," she said as she waved her hand towards him, "but why me, Professor? Ah thought that you normally brought Jean with you fer these things."

"Normally, yes... but this situation is a little different. There are indications that the boy we'll try to see tomorrow may have some difficulties coping with the nature of his new abilities. Although our findings are inconclusive so far, it seems that he may have accidentally injured a few people simply by touching them. Your own experiences in dealing with your mutant abilities make you the ideal candidate to talk to him should he be reluctant to speak with the rest of us."

"Uh, Professor..." Scott interjected, "do you mean he might be another mutant like Rogue?"

"I'm not certain of anything as of yet, Scott. There are a number of un-answered questions, but I'm sure that we'll be able to find many of the answers tomorrow. I've arranged for you both to be excused from classes for the day, so we'll be departing shortly after the rest of the students leave for school in the morning."

He then dismissed them and urged them both to get a good night's sleep. After they'd both left, Xavier returned behind his desk to continue looking over the data that Henry had provided about the new boy. He was concerned about the alleged circumstances behind the manifestation of this boy’s new abilities. The boy would undoubtedly be in a state of confusion and possibly depression for a few days. In such a state of mind, he would be un-predictable, nervous and fearful. That could make convincing him of their genuine desire to help him a bit difficult. Still, they would try their best and with a bit of luck the Xavier Institute may yet have another student enrolled within the next few days.

Chris was so relieved to finally be home that he'd almost forgotten his ordeal of the day before. For the rest of the day, he simply shut himself up in his room and only came out when his mother called him down for dinner. He knew that she was worried about him and he felt a little guilty that he was distancing himself from her so much. He and his Mom had always been close since it had always been just the two of them living together. His parents had divorced when he was very young and now he hardly remembered what his father even looked like. Not that it mattered all that much since his father never wrote, called or came to visit. Over the past few months or so he'd been feeling especially close to her, so he knew that shutting her out for the time being was hard on her. Sometime soon he'd try to make it up to her, he knew, but for the time being he needed to sort things out by himself. As things stood, even the briefest memory of the incident with Robbie and his friends, especially the part after Jeff took off, was enough to bring tears to his eyes. He knew that if his mother saw him so emotional she'd guess that there was a lot more about the incident than he was telling and she'd demand that he fess up the rest.

There was something else gnawing at the back of his mind, too. She had acted a bit peculiar when he'd noticed the bandages on her fingers and he wasn't buying her story about accidentally burning them on the teakettle. He had the vaguest of impressions that he was somehow responsible but couldn't quite remember why.

A soft tapping at his bedroom door interrupted his thoughts.

"Chris, dear... may I come in?" his mother called gently from outside his room.

"Uh... sure Mom." he quietly replied.

For a moment, just as she was coming in, she looked at him in that same strange way as she had before. It was gone just as quickly, but not before Chris noticed and it troubled him. What is it that she wasn't telling him?

She sat down beside him on his bed and put her arms around him. Neither of them said anything for a few moments as they each seemed content just to sit there together.

"Chris... you've been up here all alone for practically the entire day. You can't stay inside forever and brood over what happened at school. Although you're excused from classes until after the weekend, I don't want you spending the next few days up here hiding from the world."

He knew she was right, of course. There was no real reason to stay hidden in his room for the next few days. He didn't know how he was going to work up the courage to return to school on Monday, but at least he could try and enjoy some relative peace and freedom until then.

"I was thinking of going out for a bit tomorrow afternoon anyways, Mom," he said softly. "I've been feeling kind of odd since yesterday and maybe the fresh air will do me some good."

Again, that momentary flash of... something in his mother's eyes. Again, she quickly changed her expression back.

"That's probably a good idea, dear. It's important for you to try to get past this. Your school's principal tells me that those two delinquents have been dealt with so you won't have any more trouble from them when you go back on Monday. It's unfortunate what happened, but let’s try to put this behind us."

She then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and told him to wash up and get ready for bed. He watched her as she let herself out of his room and closed the door behind her. She was right, he had to try and get past everything that had happened and move on. At least he wouldn't have to worry about Robbie bullying him at school anymore.

He changed into his pajamas and then went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He paused as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but for a moment something looked a little... different. He quickly shrugged it off and reached hopefully for his electric toothbrush. Once again, it failed to operate. He sighed deeply to himself and reached for his regular toothbrush. Over the past few weeks the damned thing just wouldn't hold a charge no matter how long he'd left it in its stand. He supposed that even rechargeable appliances had a life to them, but he'd had that one for only a couple of months and it was already dead. It was no wonder that everyone thought he was a jinx.

After he'd finished up in the bathroom, he turned out the lights in his room and got into bed. Normally he had little difficulty falling asleep but this time he tossed and turned for a while trying to get comfortable. He felt oddly restless and uncomfortable. For some reason his pajamas felt a bit abrasive and he was starting to feel itchy. Maybe he was coming down with a rash or something, he thought to himself. He stripped off his pajamas and tossed them on the floor, then tried to settle in under the covers again. A considerable improvement, he thought.

He closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep. Unseen to Chris, the display on his battery-powered clock radio flickered slightly. After a moment it began to dim, and as Chris fell into a deep sleep, it went out entirely.

To be continued in:

The XX-Factor: Chapter Two - An Ill-Fated Day at the Mall