Disclaimer : The X-men are property of Marvel and this is a work of fiction.
Bobby paced up and down impatiently in the Professor's study. He had been here for more than an hour, and all these people did was talk! He'd come here expecting some form of resolution but in the end all the Professor had done was highlight problems he hadn't thought of. He'd zoned out of the conversation a long time ago and was thinking about what he could do to find Kevin before he did something to himself in his ridiculous drunken state. Bobby felt himself pulled from his conversation.
"... I've told you before I can't locate him, Rogue. He keeps himself hidden from me, and from anybody," the Professor said patiently.
"There must be something we can do," Angel said desperately. "He's an intoxicated and very powerful mutant on the rampage. Doesn't that frighten you, Professor?"
The Professor remained silent for a few moments. "To be honest, no." Angel blinked with surprise. The Professor continued. "I sensed a change in Kevin a few days ago when he arrived. He's not the insecure man he used to be when he discovered the magnitude of his powers. Something shifted in him after the conversation which he and I had. In my opinion, he won't hurt anyone unless it's in the last desperate defence of his own life."
Bobby's eyes fell and he turned his head to disguise his shame. Guilt surged up in his heart. He remembered standing there beside the lake chastising Kevin with sarcasm that he wasn't there to destroy them all. How that must have stung his boyfriend, to hear something which he'd tried so desperately to change in himself, only to have it thrown in his face as leverage to win an argument. Bobby felt like a dog. Kevin's behaviour was less than exemplary but Bobby felt as if he'd rubbed salt into a wound which Kevin was trying to repair. He had a intense desire to apologise to Kevin, but that one thing which he needed, that being Kevin, was the one thing he couldn't locate! It was all so frustrating.
"Are you saying we need to just wait here and do nothing?" Bobby said, and he failed to keep the anger out of his voice.
The Professor sighed. "I'm sorry, Bobby, but I'm going to have to say yes. I don't know how to find him. He could be on the other side of the world for all we know."
Bobby wanted to lash out at the Professor but the logic of his answer was inescapable. This really was a conundrum. "What if we..." Bobby began, and suddenly a mass fell on him in huge amounts. It felt as if every inch of his skin was carrying a mountain. The air crackled and vibrated, and he fell to his knees holding his head in his hands. "Bobby, help me!" a voice roared, and it was as if every person in the world shouted it into his ears. He knew at once that it was Kevin. Moments later the voice was gone, and he clearly felt as if a wave had passed over him, and now that it was gone, he could feel nothing. He staggered to his feet, but he was shaking with shock. He suddenly realised that Angel was helping him up.
"Bobby, shit! What is wrong?" Angel said, and he had a fearful look in his eyes.
He leaned against Angel for support. He didn't think he could remain standing for long after what had just passed through him. "You mean you didn't hear it?" Bobby said incredulously, and he realised he was panting with exhaustion. He looked to his right and saw Marie with a consoling hand on the Professor's shoulder, who appeared to be leaning against his desk wearily.
"A psychic pulse," the Professor said, and his eyes were closed as if he had a severe headache. "I've never felt one of that magnitude. It almost crushed me."
"It was Kevin," Bobby said, and his blurred vision started to correct its self. He never wanted to experience that again. Kevin would never try to hurt him in that way. Something was terribly wrong, as he'd feared would happen if they didn't locate him.
"Clearly," the Professor said, and he staggered to sit in his large leather chair. "The message was meant for you. He's in trouble."
"I know where he is. He's in the middle of the city, about twenty miles from here. I don't know how I know, but I do," Bobby said. It was a strange feeling, so be so sure of something which was clearly so abstract.
"Psychic pulses have complex dimensions. His location was probably interlaced somewhere in the message."
"I need to go find him. Now!" Bobby said, and he didn't know what he'd do if the Professor didn't agree. He felt ice run down his forearm, and realised his subconscious was preparing for the possibility, and the consequences.
"I agree," the Professor said surprisingly. "I need to go with you to aid the situation, and we'll take Wolverine along to help us with any unnecessary problems which we might need to overcome."
"We..." Angel began.
"... will not be joining us," The Professor said with a raised hand. "I need you two to look after the mansion while we are gone." The Professor turned his gaze to Bobby. "Logan is in the billiards room. Tell him to meet us in the garage in two minutes."
"The jet would be faster," Bobby said defiantly.
"Landing in the middle of a major city? Be realistic," the Professor replied coarsely, and Bobby ran out the door before the Professor could see his obvious embarrassment. Time was vital to their success, and with every stride he knew that Kevin's fate was in his hands. For once.
Wolverine muttered as he failed to sink the black ball in his own private game of pool. It was a game he enjoyed because it gave him time to think. He usually played alone, mostly because there was no one near as good as him in the entire mansion, and those who once were used to get scared when he tore the table to pieces after losing. Well, it had been several years since he'd clawed the room into oblivion, and the Professor had berated him about it, but he guessed those rumours followed one for a few years after incidents like that.
His ears picked up someone running towards the room. Sighing, he turned towards the door. If it turned out to be another female student attempting to get hold of him, he thought he might lose it this time. Female students made constant attempts to get hold of him, from subtle winks and gestures to running into this room and pouncing on him to attempt to tear off his clothes. The fact that he constantly wore a wifebeater was testament to the fact that all his good shirts had been ruined over the years. The thought of having his way with a young eighteen year old student made his chest sweat, but he knew better than to choose a student. Sometimes it wasn't so easy - some of these girls were fucking hot. One some rare occasions he caught some guys leering at him subtly, their lusty thoughts betraying their fears of looking at another guy. No guy had pounced him yet - no doubt they thought he'd cut their heart out with his claws. Actually, he wouldn't do anything - merely turn the guy down politely. Guys didn't do anything for him, not like women did - like Jean did - but sometimes he yearned for a male friend with whom he could share things with. He considered portraying his more sensitive side, when suddenly someone broke the door down and in a moment his claws were out and his throat was growling. Perhaps his sensitive side would have to wait.
He recognised Bobby and retracted his claws, and saw the kid approach wearily. Bobby was a crazy, friendly kind of guy, but his head was screwed on straight, and he didn't lose it easily. Whenever Bobby was a wreck, it had something to do with Kevin.
"You found him?" he asked Bobby simply.
"Yeah," Bobby said. "Xavier said you must come with us to pick him up. Be in the garage in two minutes."
Logan opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on, but Bobby was already running out of the room. Kevin was a hurricane in this mansion, and it had nothing to do with his powers. His effect on Bobby was intoxicating. He liked Kevin a lot. He was a decent guy, who seemed soft but had a powerful core inside of him. The guy only really wanted to be with Bobby, and he'd tried to help him fulfil his goal as much as possible. Logan was drawn from his thoughts...
"... clear that the complete destruction of the Cairo harbour was due to an extremely powerful mutant."
Logan turned to look at the screen built into the wall. He sneered and he linked the voice to the face. Senator Richard de Mille - avid mutant hater and conservative fanatic. The idiot was once again trying to lobby support for his anti-mutant campaigns, but Logan knew the truth of his accusations and he felt a mantle of doom settle on his chest. This was only the beginning.
"I have proposed a bill to the President which will make it mandatory to consider mutants of the fourth level and higher to be national security risks."
"What the fuck," Wolverine said, and he felt the pool cue snap in his right hand.
"It will be compulsory for these mutants to register with the National Mutant Authority. They will also be required to wear this collar, which will display their location to any authority who questions them. The collar also has the ability to neutralise the mutant's powers if necessary, and failing that, the mutant."
Wolverine found his eyes widening with every word. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. With one last disgusted look at the screen, he rushed out of the door and headed for the hangar.
Bobby sat in the back of the sports car as it flew down the street towards the city. It had been half an hour since they left but it felt like days had gone by.
"Can't this thing go any faster!?" he shouted.
"Zip it, kid. If I go any faster, we'll fly off the road," Wolverine said aggressively, but Bobby saw him sigh after his comment as if he regretted his reaction. The Professor was silent as he stared out of the window. It seemed like everyone in the car was on edge.
"He's in the south-east corner of the city. I can feel him," Bobby said.
"Thanks for the info. Again," Wolverine said with measured patience.
It took nearly an hour for them to reach the city, and by that time Bobby felt like clawing at the windows. He couldn't believe that the two men in the front seats could remain so patient during that time. They drove towards the region he'd pointed them to, although the Professor also knew where it was. He squinted his eyes as a haze started to greet them, thick and dense mist which was almost impossible to drive through. He felt the car slow down, and even though he knew it was necessary, he wanted to rage at the timing of the situation.
"Let's walk the rest of the way," Wolverine said. "I don't think it's too far."
They climbed out and immediately the humidity of the air choked them. The mist was dense, and hot and moist. They started walking quickly towards the epicentre where they all knew Kevin was lying, or had lain. It took less than ten steps before they realised that something was seriously wrong with the situation. Small objects of varying sizes floated past them, seemingly suspended in mid-air - coffee cups, pens, shoes. Bobby glanced to his right and saw a car, or what used to be one. All that remained was a molten blob of metal, with tyre rubber running in seething rivers towards the nearest street-side drainage. Suddenly a feeling of impending disaster settled on his heart. The possibility that Kevin might have died here made him want to vomit, but suddenly he was considering the idea. He tried to push it out of his mind, but it gnawed at him maliciously and mocked him. The Professor moved with trepidation, and whatever his powers were telling him caused him to frown with confusion. Wolverine's claws were out and his nose seemed to be working overtime. Something about the situation told him that both the other mutant's powers were being deceived by whatever was happening here.
The mist seemed to clear, and devastation caused them all to pause and gasp. Kevin clearly lay in the middle of a large open area. Buildings seemed to have once been there due to the evidence of old foundations, but even the rubble of collapsed or destroyed structures had been mysteriously swept away. The ground seemed to have been superheated in areas and seethed with heat, and in others it crackled with thick ice which he could sense penetrating deep into the earth. The shells of eight cars orbited around Kevin's lifeless body, and seemed to be following intricate and pre- planned paths as they tumbled and turned through the air. Pieces of tar from the ravaged street around them continuously broke off in small pieces and started to rise peacefully into the air. The whole scene seemed peaceful to the casual observer, but widespread destruction had occurred here, and evidence of fatalities had been erased to downplay the horror which had taken place. Next to Kevin appeared to be another young guy, apparently unharmed. Bobby wanted to focus on his peaceful demeanour but his gaze was drawn to the charred remains of two people lying close to Kevin, and another person who appeared partially molten into the ground, a look of pure terror on his face. What the fuck had gone on here!
"We have to get him!" Bobby said and he started running towards Kevin.
"Stop!" he heard the Professor roar, and all his muscles cramped into submission and refused to move. He couldn't even blink. The situation would have been terrifying enough, but he was shocked that the Professor had used his powers on him. It was a clear sign that he was desperate to avoid something he himself didn't see. Suddenly he could move again, but this time he stood his ground, and shivered with unease.
"Logan, try and get Kevin," Xavier said.
Wolverine looked towards Kevin and his eyes focussed with a carnal desire to obtain his directive. He walked quickly towards Kevin, and then jogged casually. Suddenly the air around him seemed to seethe as if it was alive, and Wolverine cried out as his leather jacked and most of the flesh beneath it was torn from him. Bobby's mouth dropped open in shock as he saw evidence of Wolverine's rumoured adamantium exoskeleton showing through. Wolverine fell back and lay at Bobby's feat groaning in pain. The muscles of his chest were healing rapidly and moments later his strong chest was fully regenerated. Panting, Wolverine leaned on one elbow and shook his head.
"Shit," Wolverine said.
"As I thought," Xavier said. "Kevin's mind is protecting him from any intrusion, which strengthens my believe that he was attacked, leading to his subconscious taking the reigns to protect him."
"What can we do?" Bobby said, and he thought about how close he'd come to death.
"If any of us enter that perimeter, we will not survive for longer than a few moments. I can try to contain Kevin's powers for a short time, perhaps enough time to get us back to the mansion so that I can amplify myself with Cerebro and contain him indefinitely until he regains conscious control of himself."
"You sound unsure," Wolverine said.
"It's a risk," the Professor said worriedly. "If Kevin's mind suspects that someone is trying to suppress it, and I lose the advantage of subtlety, it may try to break free and exact its revenge. The problem is that if that happens, none of us stand a chance. I cannot control his powers if they are aware of me. I learnt that lesson more than once."
Silence greeted them for a few moments as they surveyed the situation. For a moment all three of them stared at the cars floating aimlessly around Kevin, and for a blessed time the world seemed simple and uncomplicated. Bobby shook his head.
"It's our only hope," Bobby said, and the others looked at him with new-found respect.
"Let's do this," Wolverine said with a nod.
"Right," the Professor said. "Once I start, you two need to fetch Kevin and the young man next to him. I don't know why he was spared, but considering the state of the victims around him, he has some level of importance to Kevin's subconscious. He may also be a source of information if he seems unwilling to discuss what happened here today."
"I'll get Kevin. You get the kid," Wolverine said.
"No, I'll get Kevin," Bobby said defiantly.
"Kevin is taller and heavier than the..." Wolverine begun, but Bobby crashed in angrily.
"Just fucking do what I want, for once!" he shouted, and Wolverine nodded silently after a moment.
"Brat," Wolverine said, and Bobby smiled to himself.
Concentration enveloped the Professor's face as he glared at Kevin. The orbiting cars fell and crashed around Kevin. He heard the small objects in the large radius around them falling with a significant clatter, and the mist, fire and winds which had unnaturally inhabited the area seemed to dissipate immediately.
"Now," he heard the Professor whisper into his mind, and immediately he ran towards Kevin. The tar which had put up with so much abuse prior to this fractured under his weight as he ran over it, and he zapped some renegade fires with some ice as he passed them.
He reached Kevin in a few moments, and he wanted to crush him with a lover's embrace. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but he couldn't rouse him no matter what he tried. A few seconds later he was running towards their car carrying Kevin on his back. Wolverine was right. Kevin was heavier than he looked, but he strained to avoid showing any weakness as he lumbered on. Wolverine was well ahead of him, and his stride seemed unaffected by another male riding on his back. To hell with him and his strength. After a minute or two he saw the car come into sight, and hope surged in his heart. The Professor was already in the front passenger seat. Wolverine dumped the stranger in the back seat on the right and leaped to turn the car on. Bobby quickly but gently added Kevin to the middle passenger seat at the back before jumping in. The tyres screeched as they pulled away.
"Are you alright Professor?" Wolverine asked, but Xavier didn't reply. He stared forward as if he was in a trance.
Wolverine cut corners at high speed, and already the army appeared to be converging on the area. Bobby pulled Kevin to lie against his chest and he stroked his hair. He drew energy from having Kevin against him. It felt so good to have his weight against his chest, to hear his soft breathing and see the rise and fall of his peaceful breathing. If he would just wake up, everything would be as it was. Bobby kissed his head and smiled before he could stop himself.
They were fifteen minutes away from the mansion when the Professor gasped softly. "He's aware of me," the Professor said, and fear touched his voice for the first time that Bobby could remember. "Hurry Logan," Xavier added, and Logan accelerated to a mad speed in an attempt to reach the safety of the mansion.
The Professor leaned forward and placed his hands on the dashboard. Sweat ran down his forehead and down his neck onto his fine shirt. His eyes were closed tightly and his breathing started to become laboured. "He's so strong. I can't believe he's so strong," Xavier said in broken speech.
Moments later a small whimper escaped the Professor, and Bobby watched as the windows of the car vanished. One moment they were there, the next they were gone. A ferocious wind entered the now open car, but Kevin's hair remained undisturbed as the wind passed around him. A small smile had developed on his lips.
"We need to do something," Wolverine said.
"We're almost there," Bobby said.
"We're not going to make it," Wolverine shouted. His voice was almost inaudible over the sound of the raging car engine and the wind entering the area around them.
"We will," Bobby said stubbornly, and to mock him, he saw fires start in the forest all around him. Lightning arced around them and struck the road in front and behind them, causing Wolverine to swerve wildly. The roar of the thunder was deafening, and the Professor was now hyperventilating with exertion.
Suddenly Kevin's eyes opened, and they were dark and wild. They looked straight ahead, and his smile was wide and terrible to look at. It wasn't him, Bobby had no doubt of that.
"You fool, Xavier," Kevin whispered, but his voice was amplified as if a mythological giant had shouted them. "No one controls the power of Kronos," he added, and the words echoed until Bobby was sure he felt the ground shake beneath them.
In that tenuous moment, Bobby felt that familiar anger wash over him - his hatred for Kevin's powers and the demon which he sometimes became. He loved Kevin, but standing here while this thing took its time with Xavier was too much. He grabbed Kevin by the collar of his shirt roughly, and shock covered the monster's eyes - for even it couldn't believe that such a thing could occur. Bobby felt his hand harden as his powers strengthened his fist into a frozen club.
"It's for your own good," Bobby said truthfully, but he knew he was trying to explain his actions to himself.
A brief moment of pain crossed Kevin's beautiful eyes, before Bobby smashed his hand into his face as hard as he could. Kevin cried out and collapsed onto Bobby, and for the second time that day, the near-impossible occurrences around them ceased instantly. The assaults on the Professor appeared to end immediately, but the continued absence of the windows proved to be more than irritating. Wolverine turned to look at him and nodded with a deep respect, but Bobby's eyes fell to Kevin, his cheek already blue and black from the strike. He loathed what fate presented him with. He hated the world for putting him in these situations. To be with Kevin was worth anything, but hurting Kevin as means to be with him was fucked up, and seemed to be the story of his life. They sat in silence for the rest of the trip, and Bobby knew that in a few days, Kevin would return to normal. When that happened, he'd prove his love to him. He's apologise for what he'd done. He'd heal their relationship. He'd have his way with him until Kevin was begging him to stop. He just needed to wake up.
"Please Kevin, just wake up and smile for me," he pleaded.
Xavier entered the teacher's lounge, and sat comfortably in the seat nearest to the window. It was just past sunset, and the room was full. Wolverine and Storm talked lazily on the opposite side of the room, after greeting him respectfully, and Kitty and Colossus were laughing at one another's drawings. Both were excellent artists and frequently attempted to outmatch one another's skills.
He looked to his immediate left, to the leather sleeper couch illuminated by a hazy yellow lamp light. Bobby was sitting on it but sleeping peacefully with his head resting back. His breathing was shallow and regular, and his brainwaves spoke of restful sleep, something which he'd not sensed in the young man for quite some time. He was not here for that reason. He was here to check on Kevin. Kevin's head rested on Bobby's chest, his cheek black from being punched, and he appeared to be in a deep sleep to the casual observer, but his abilities told him otherwise. Bobby unconsciously ran his hand through Kevin's hair.
It had been two days since the incident in New York, but events appeared to have turned out better than he had expected. He had spent hours with Kevin probing his incredible mind. The man hadn't regained consciousness since his experience, and half of that was his doing. He'd managed to contact Kevin through the wild turbulence which was the Kronos personality. Kevin had agreed to wake up over the next few days quietly. Xavier had told him he would place various mental barriers on his mind, which he could slowly sift through until he felt he was ready to wake up. Xavier knew that Kevin and the Kronos personality would be in conflict if Kevin woke up immediately, and that if he did it subtly, then Kevin could establish himself as the dominant force of his mind. Considering he couldn't contain Kevin even if he wanted to, he immediately decided to go for the diplomatic approach in solving this situation. Luckily it had worked, and luckily he had an excuse to calm Bobby's perpetual anxiety about the state of his partner. The man was almost mad with anxiety when it came to the topic of Kevin's wellbeing, and at times it could test the boundaries of patience.
They'd carried Kevin here yesterday, and Bobby had been attached to him since that moment. He refused to shower, eat or do anything until Kevin woke up. A small smile betrayed Kevin's face, but his brain impulses were radiating enormous amounts of energy. He was aware of everything, but at the same time he was slowly moving through the gentle forest of barriers he himself had put there. Soon he would awaken from his deep sleep, and somehow Bobby was aware of the fact. They had a strange bond those two, something he was sure he had never felt before.
He sensed something amiss. "Logan, turn on the television. Channel fifty-one please."
Wolverine's arched an eyebrow at him, but moved to turn on the television. The other mutants in the room turned to watch, but Bobby remained peacefully asleep.
"... latest mutant devastation on one of our own cities cemented the President's decision to approve the Bill, and he came through as expected," the Senator intoned. He was an arrogant and spiteful man.
"Impossible," Storm said, and he felt like saying the same. He knew the President personally. He would never acquiesce to such a gross violation of Mutant Rights.
"The first duty of this Bill is to introduce mandatory registration of all level four mutants, and any level five mutants that theoretically could exist. They are also to be collared according to this new law. As undertaker of this law, I will make it my personal duty to see it enforced. Any mutant who refuses these measures will face neutralisation by force deemed necessary by me. As such, I present the American people with this electronic soldier, Bane."
A glistening silver man-shape appeared next to the Senator. He was about seven feet tall, and appeared to be robotic, but moved with human grace. Kitty gasped, and the Professor frowned. How could it have gone so far? He had to get the President on the phone and ask what this was all about.
"The Bane can neutralise all levels of mutant power and contain these mutants. Its abilities range from mild to lethal. Let this be a warning to all high-level mutants. Do the right thing. The wrong one will cost you dearly."
Wolverine turned off the television. Total silence greeted the room, except for the rhythmic and innocent breathing of Bobby and Kevin who were lying on the couch. As if summoned, Bobby stretched and yawned, and his sleepy eyes led to a smile.
"Hey guys," he said dreamily. "What's happening?"
The room was silent. He didn't have the slightest idea of how to answer Bobby. He looked at Kevin, and pity swelled up in his heart. Would the pain never stop for him? Was he doomed to a life of suffering?
End of chapter 12
Thanks for the feedback over the weeks guys. Sorry this chapter took so ridiculously long. Apart from moving house, I'm in the middle of a writer's block, but I think I've overcome it. I also don't know how many people are still reading this or if interest has been lost. I'll post the next one as soon as possible, but any comments can be sent to rahvin747@yahoo.com