GO WEST

Chapter 3: "Watershed"

After spending most of the morning overhauling the non-operational engine out of the old BMW, Doug and Rictor looked rather like they'd been bathing in grease. Each of them knew just enough about cars to have a vague idea of why it wouldn't run, but it wasn't until they'd taken it apart and been given a prognosis by Warlock that they could get on with the actual fixing. Luckily, it was just neglect; no parts needed to be replaced.

This didn't stop the two from gutting both the car and the garage, though. It seemed as though they'd used every tool in the place at least once, and these lay scattered all over the floor. The engine itself was still on the outside of the car, being checked over now by Warlock.

"How does it look, Doc-Lock?" Ric asked, wiping his brow with the back of his hand (and smearing the grease a bit more).

"As in all auto-entities, construction very crude and inefficient," Warlock reported. "Nevertheless, appears in working order."

"That's a relief," Doug grunted from somewhere under the raised hood.

"Self wishes to express continued desire to help selfriends by emulating vehicle, as self did for frienDani."

Rahne smiled at him from atop one of the workbenches, where she'd been sitting and watching. "'Tis sweet of ye, 'Lock, but I doubt that will stop them." She said this last bit in a mockingly sarcastic voice.

"It's a man thing," Ric replied with a laugh. "Since the dawn of time, men have always loved to fix cars."

"Better not tell my mother that," said Doug.

"Why's that?"

"See all these tools? They're hers; she loved to take things apart and fix 'em. You wouldn't catch my dad out here getting greasy."

"Your mama's a weird lady, Ramsey."

"That's a relief. I'm glad I got it from somewhere."

"Selfriends," Warlock repeated, patiently, "self is more than willing to serve as vehicle for self's friends."

Doug extracted himself from the transmission and shook himself, wiping his hands with a rag. "Well, like Rahne said, that's really nice of you to offer, but the point is, you don't have to. You're not our pet all-purpose power-tool, 'Lock; you're our friend. Let's have some of the machines without feelings do the work, and free you up for being you."

"Self expresses gratitude at concern of self's friends," Warlock nodded, "but self is always willing to be of service."

"Hey, it's mutual, chamaco," said Ric, giving Warlock a good pat on the back. "We're a team, right?"

"Something like that," Doug nodded, peeking back under the hood.

There came a buzzing from an intercom on the garage wall. Rahne exchanged glances with the others, then hopped down off the bench to check it out. "Who's buzzin' us?" she asked. "There's no one in the house."

"Oh," said Doug, re-emerging. "That's the buzzer for the outside gate. Go ahead and press the talk button."

"What should I say?"

"I dunno, use your imagination."

Rahne twisted her mouth into a frown, then pressed the button. "Er- h'lo? McAudry house."

"Rahney, if that's you, you'd best open this gate and let me in!" came a happy voice from the speaker.

"'Berto!!" Rahne gasped, her face lighting up. "Douglas, Ric, 'Lock, it's Roberto!"

"No way!" Doug grinned. "Punch in 4, 2, and the pound key, Rahney. That'll open the gate."

"How the hell did Bobby know we were here?" Ric asked, quickly wiping off his hands.

"I -ah- left him a few eyes-only messages on the computers at DaCosta Enterprises," Doug shrugged. "It was impossible to get through to him any other way."

After Rahne had punched in the code, the quartet of mutants emerged from the garage to see a rented Rolls Royce come down the cobblestone driveway, parking in front of the house. Out stepped none other than Roberto "Sunspot" DaCosta, resplendent in his polished black shoes, Armani suit, and Ray-Ban shades. "Hey, hey! Welcome back to the land of the living, my friends!"

Rahne was the first to reach him, nearly bowling him over with one of her characteristic wolf-hugs. "Och, ye're lookin' wonderful, 'Berto!" she smiled at him.

"As are you, little one," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "Rictor! It's been a while!"

"Salutations and expressions of greeting, friendBobbySunspot!" Warlock chimed in, extending in a hand to his old teammate.

Roberto looked over Warlock's new form. "I could scarcely believe my eyes when I read your messages," he smiled, clasping Warlock's hand, "but it's good to see you. That's a new shape, no?"

"Yeah," Doug grinned. "We're back, we're bad, he's black, and I'm mad."

"Douglas," Roberto grinned, putting his arms out to embrace his old teammate.

"Hold up a sec, Bobby," Doug warned, indicating his begreased state. "How much is that suit worth?"

They considered it for a moment, then Roberto hugged him anyway. "Ah, it's only money," he grinned, thumping Doug soundly on the back. "It's good to see that you're not dead."

"Thanks, man. So how's the world of big business treating you?"

Roberto gave the group a wan smile. "The longer I work in the place of my father -- God rest his soul -- the more I truly believe this is the work I was born to do."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Ric hooted. "Head of a multi-billion dollar international corporation. Must be nice."

"Wealth has its uses," Roberto shrugged, indicating the car behind him. "This little vacation, for one, and this car, for another. No one wanted to rent out a Rolls to an eighteen-year-old, until they saw my credit rating..." His smile widened as he went. "Enough about me. This is an impressive neighborhood you've settled into. But where's Danielle?"

"Actually, we're due to meet her in a couple of hours out at my grandparents' ranch," Doug explained. "She's flying in with Brightwind."

"Wonderful!" Roberto smiled. "May I come with you, then?"

"What kind'a silly question is that, 'Berto?" Rahne chided him. "Of course ye can come!"

"In fact, can you drive?" Doug grinned, pointing over his shoulder. "'Cause I don't think that little beemer's going anywhere for a while..."

Bobby laughed. "Of course. May I use your phone, then? I should call my hotel and let them know I'll be arriving late."

Rahne, Doug and Rictor gave him a collective blank stare. "A hotel?" Doug asked. "We're living in a house big enough for a dozen people, and you think you're going to be staying in a hotel? Call 'em and cancel your reservations, man. You're staying right here."

"Self volunteers cubicle assigned to self as guest room for friendBobbySunspot," Warlock added. "Self has no real need of sleepingroom for rest."

"Thank you, Warlock, but..."

"But nothin'!" Rahne insisted, grabbing Roberto's arm and pulling him toward the front doors. "It'll be wonderful to have ye stay with us! Come on, I'll show ye the house."

She led the way inside, still talking. It was the most animated any of them had seen her in days. Ric commented on this as he and Doug got Bobby's baggage out of the car. "Good to see her smilin'..."

"Yeah, she's known Bobby longer than she's known either of us," Doug replied. "They were part of the original team, right from the start."

Ric nodded. "Did -ah- DaCosta ever put the moves on her?"

He said this in an even voice, but Doug detected the faint twinge of jealousy, and found it somehow amusing. "She used to have a crush on him, I hear, but that was a long time ago. They're just good friends."

"Man, she's almost had as many of those crushes as you, Ramsey."

Doug brushed off his sardonic comment. "We lived a weird life."

McAudry Ranch, outside Julian, CA 2:06 pm

After washing up and changing, the five mutants piled into Roberto's rented Rolls and headed out of town, traveling the fifty-plus miles north and east to the outskirts of Julian, which was situated in the forested mountains between the coast and the arid inland deserts. Their drive took them off the interstate, and onto highway 79, which wound through the Cuyamaca mountains, giving them beautiful views of the woodlands, and later of Lake Cuyamaca. Roberto commented to Doug that this was not the kind of terrain he'd pictured for southern California, and Doug just smiled and told him that the area had a little of everything.

Between the large but sparsely populated towns of Cuyamaca and Julian, they took the Rolls off the main road, which momentarily worried Roberto, but the new road was good, solid, packed dirt. The car would probably require a washing later, but no harm would be done.

After following the twisting path for a couple of miles, taking them well away from the highway and deeper into the mountains, they came into a wide valley, with acres of fenced pasture stretching to the bordering mountains on either side, huge oak trees covering the mountains and dotting the flats in clumps, and in the center of it all stood several large, well-made buildings: the ranch complex itself.

Roberto parked at the end of the road, near several other cars, and the five mutants emerged, Warlock taking a moment to resume his human shape. "Welcome to the ranch," Doug said, vaguely, looking around the place.

"No welcome wagon?" Ric asked. "I thought they knew we were coming."

"They're busy folks," Doug murmured. Something caught his eye in the pastures, and he headed off in this direction. The others followed, having no real alternative.

The fences around the pastures were nothing complex -- just long hunks of pinewood with support posts every twenty feet or so -- more than enough room for a person to climb through, but high enough that a horse wouldn't jump over. Doug pulled himself up by the one of the top logs and looked out into the fields. He had that kind of glazed look that Ric and Rahne had come to expect from him as he made any of his several homecomings.

Roberto stretched his arms to either side and took a deep breath, his pecs straining against the T-shirt for which he'd eschewed his suit. "Clean air and warm sunshine," he smiled. "Not a bad way to live." Sunlight was also the source of his mutant strength, they knew, but he didn't mention this.

"Where is ev'ryone, Douglas?" Rahne asked, pulling herself up onto the fence as well.

Doug pointed to a lone rider amidst the many horses that roamed the fields. "Well, that looks like Kellen. I don't see anyone else, though." He then brought two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly.

A single golden-brown colored horse broke off from the group at the sound of his whistle, and trotted out to the edge of the field, poking its nose at Doug, who put his arms around its neck and gave it a hug. "Woodlock, you old monster! You still remember me, eh?"

Rahne's face lit up as Woodlock looked over at her. "Och, he's beautiful! Is he yuirs, Douglas?"

"Not mine as such," Doug explained, as Woodlock butted his head against Rahne, then poked his head through the top and bottom logs of the fence and checked out the other three. "He's just my favorite. I learned to ride on him." He reached around to unzip his fanny-pack, and took out a small bundle of plastic-wrapped carrots he'd brought from home. He unwrapped them, snapped one in half, and handed it to Rahne. "Hold your hand out flat, with this in your palm."

Rahne did so, and Woodlock immediately turned his attention to this new smell, eating it out of her hand. She jolted back at this sudden up-close experience, but then smiled. "D'ye think he likes me?"

"Sure. He likes anyone that'll feed him." Doug scratched the horse's ears, making them twitch.

"Hey, let me try that," Roberto asked, indicating the carrots.

By the time all of them had had a chance to feed the happy Woodlock, the lone rider had come up to meet them. "Well, if it ain't my cuz, the mutie!"

"Hey, Kellen," Doug nodded to him.

Kellen looked a little older than Doug, and had a long, red ponytail sticking out from his wide-brimmed straw hat. He wore glasses, and beneath these, it was difficult to tell whether he wore an expression of humor or distaste. Doug's companions were a bit taken aback by his tone.

"So you're back from the dead, and you're already coming out here to bug us, eh? Just when I thought we were going to get some peace."

"Ain't no peace to be had for the likes of you, Kell."

Kellen swung down off his mount, and Doug hopped down from the fence to face off with him. For a long moment, it looked as though they were preparing to trade blows, but then Kellen's face broke into a lopsided grin, and he reached out to clasp Doug's hand. "Good to see you, cuz."

"Good to be back, Kell. These are my friends." He looked back around at the others to make introductions. "The Gang, this is Kellen McAudry. Kell, this is The Gang -- Ric, Bobby, David and Rahne."

"How's it goin'?" Kellen smiled, tipping his hat to them.

Rahne hopped down from the fence, and the others climbed through, exchanging vague pleasantries with Doug's cousin. Only Warlock stayed back, still feeding Woodlock, and looking quite amazed every time the horse took a piece of carrot from his hand.

"So where is everyone?" Doug asked. "I figured Papa Mike and uncle Matthew'd be out and about."

"Everyone's in the barn," Kellen explained, taking his own horse's reins and leading them in that direction. "Amalthea's about to drop yet another one, if you can believe that."

"Yeah, Brynn mentioned that."

"Another one of Woodlock's," Kellen added. "His last, though."

"What do you mean his... oh." Doug craned his neck around to look at Woodlock, who was following them alongside Warlock. "You gelded him?!"

"Hadda be done, Doug," Kellen shrugged. "He's way past his prime."

Doug turned around and threw his arms around Woodlock's neck again. "Oh, you poor, poor man!" he said in a melodramatic voice.

("Gelded?" Rahne asked Roberto.)

(He whispered in her ear. "Oh," she replied, quietly.)

There suddenly came a wild whoop from the barn, interrupting this. As everyone turned to look, Brynn and another young man that looked quite a bit like her emerged. When they saw that the company had arrived, both started waving at them. "It's the cutest little white stallion you've ever seen!" Brynn called. "Come on and take a look!"

Kellen's grin deepened. "Awright! Anyone want to see?"

"Oh, yes!" Rahne smiled, her eyes shining at the thought of the little colt.

"Sure," Roberto nodded, willing to go along with it.

As Kellen, Doug, Rahne and Roberto took off for the barn, Ric looked back at a confused Warlock. "You coming, 'Lock?"

"Self registers confusion at topic of discussion. What has occurred to excite self's friends so?"

"I guess Brynn's horse just had a baby. You know, gave birth." When Warlock's expression did not change, he added "You do know what a baby is, right?"

"Affirmative. Self merely experiences difficulty in comprehending parent-child relationships among humanforms and earthcreatures. Is self correct in assuming that coltentity babyhorse will not mature and combat sireWoodlock for right to live?"

"Of course not," Ric laughed. "He's a horse, not the Magus."

"Relief. Self will view babyhorse with self's friends."
 
 

"Isn't it adorable?" Rahne whispered to Roberto.

Roberto watched the comparatively tiny colt as it suckled from its mother. Mare and foal alike were flawless white in color, but he was having difficulty in seeing the still wet-and-sticky, wobbly-legged newborn as being particularly adorable. "It's... little..."

"It's her sixth," Brynn said, proud as a new mother herself.

In the wake of the birth, the five mutants had gathered in the barn with most of the McAudry family, and no questions were posed or introductions made for quite some time, as everyone seemed captivated by the sight of the newborn foal. Eventually, though, people began noticing that they didn't recognize one another, and introductions were once again in order.

The owner of the ranch, and head of the family, was Doug's grandfather Michael McAudry, whom all of the grandchildren referred to as Papa Mike. While he was well over sixty years old, he had the bronzed, rugged, fit look of those who work for their livings night and day, and enjoy every moment. He ran the ranch with his wife Helen, who was not present at the time, and his two sons. William "Buck" McAudry was the oldest, a huge, blonde bear of a man. The second-born was Matthew, a compact, muscular fellow with cropped red hair that was only beginning to go grey, and a thick moustache and goatee of the same fiery color. Buck had three children, all of whom were in college and away from home, and Matthew and his wife Linda had four, who still lived on the ranch- twenty-year-old Kellen, the eighteen-year-old twins Brian and Brynn, and the youngest, ten-year-old Lon.

All of this family history came out in the first twenty minutes of the conversations, and Rahne and Warlock in particular were a bit shocked at how open the family was with their respective lives. After a while, Buck and Matthew got back to work, as did Brian and Linda, leaving Papa Mike to give the guests a tour of the stables, along with Brynn, Kellen and Lon.

Lon, in particular, was excited to see all of them. As Papa Mike showed the others around, Doug had a chance to have words with his youngest cousin near the back of the procession to the stables.

"So are all of you guys really mutants?" Lon said in a conspiratorial tone.

"Now, Lon, you know how important it is not to tell anyone outside the family about this, right?"

Lon raised his hand in one of the signs he'd no doubt picked up in cub scouts. "Scout's honor, I won't tell."

"Okay. Yeah, we're all really mutants."

"Cool! Kind'a like the X-Men?"

"Ehhhh- kind of," Doug said behind a wry smile.

"Well- what can you do?"

Doug crouched down and pointed out each of his friends in turn, as they fed, patted, and spoke to the stabled horses. "Well, that guy there has super-strength, and he gets his power from the sun."

"Kind'a like Superman?"

"Right, except he's not from outer space, and he can't fly. But that guy there is from outer space. He's a living, thinking machine."

"Kind'a like Data from Star Trek?"

"Uh, yeah. And the tall guy there can make earthquakes."

Lon had run out of analogies. "Cool," he said instead. "And the girl?"

"She's got the best power, I think. She can turn into a wolf."

Lon's jaw dropped as he looked at petite little Rahne and tried to picture this. "That's totally cool!" He seemed to be obsessing on that word.

"Yep. Now, it's important not to tell anyone about this, because we don't want anyone else to know about us. You know about how a lot of people hate mutants."

"I dunno why. Mutants are cool! They do such cool things! Like the X-Men! I bet they've saved the world a bunch'a times!"

"Yeah, well, me and my friends here have done a little of that ourselves," Doug admitted, "but we're gonna calm down and go to school for a while."

Lon's face fell. "So you're not starting a superhero team?"

"Not a real one, no. We might still do some hero stuff, though, if we really have to."

"Oh," Lon replied, not looking as thrilled anymore.

"But listen," Doug said, leaning closer and dropping his voice to a whisper. "You need to guard this information really carefully, okay? You never know when some nefarious super-villain will try to pick your brain trying to find out about us, and if that happens, you've gotta be strong. Can you do that for me? We'll be counting on you."

"They won't get it outta me alive, cuz!" Lon beamed, getting his wide grin back in place.

Doug took a moment to consider the slim, but still very real chance that this joke could become hard reality. All the more reason to let his family know where they stood. "Thanks, cuz," Doug smiled then, ruffling Lon's hair. "I knew you'd pull through for us."

"So what can you do?" Lon asked suddenly.

For a moment, Doug was taken aback. "Well, I can translate any language really quickly."

Lon nodded. "What else?"

"Uh- that's it, really."

At this, Lon looked monumentally confused. "That's it?"

"Yep, that's it."

"That kind'a sucks, doesn't it?"

Doug was about to explain the many wonderful things a mutant could do with the power to translate languages if he put his mind to it, when he was interrupted by Brynn tapping him on the shoulder. "Hey, Doug, Papa Mike was just suggesting to the gang that me and Kelly take you out on a tour of the grounds. You feel up for some riding?"

"Well, sure," Doug agreed. "Are the others interested?"

He took a look around the stable to see that Papa Mike was helping Ric, Bobby and Warlock pick out mounts, and that Kellen was already helping Rahne get hers saddled. Rahne herself looked as though she'd fallen in love with her chosen horse. "Yeah, I guess so," he nodded.

"I wanna go!" Lon said, brightly. "Papa, can I go too, please?"

Michael gave the boy a stern smile (a neat trick, and an effective one), and shook his head. "No, you'd best head back t'the house and let y'r grandmother know the guests are here. She'll prob'ly need help settin' up their rooms."

"Yes sir," Lon frowned, the very epitome of disappointed youth. He slouched his shoulders as he left the stable complex, but then immediately took off for the ranch house at a dead run.

"Our rooms?" Ric asked in the ensuing silence.

Now Michael was somewhat taken aback. "Oh, I'd assumed ye'd be spendin' the night. Do ye have t'leave early?"

"We probably should, Papa," Doug nodded. "Orientation starts tomorrow, and we need to be there bright and early."

"Ah," Michael nodded. "Well, y'r all welcome to come out f'r any weekend and stay, then."

"Could we really?" asked Rahne, happily, tearing her eyes from her pretty mare.

"O'course, lass," he smiled at her. "Any friend of m'grandson is welcome. Now saddle up, and we'll have ye on the trail in two shakes."
 
 

The ride went fairly smoothly up and down the mountain trails that crisscrossed the McAudry family's land. Brynn led the way on Papa Mike's grey stallion Cronkite, as her own Amalthea was quite occupied. Kellen and Doug followed after, the latter riding Woodlock, and the former riding his own mount, Clip, who could have been Cronkite's twin. Rahne was next, on a chestnut mare named Lucille. Roberto, Rictor and Warlock brought up the rear, riding a trio of pintos playfully named Larry, Moe and Curly. They were easy to ride and nearly impossible to spook, though, which made them perfect for such inexperienced riders.

They rode up and down, through the thick oak forests and beside the creek that ran through the valley, widening into a lake near the homestead. Rictor and Roberto seemed to be having the worst time of it -- Rahne had previous experience riding Brightwind with Danielle, while Warlock was quite adept at keeping his balance under any circumstance, and was able to pick up some technique by watching Doug, Brynn and Kellen.

After a while, their ride took them to the highest point of the local mountains, where they stopped to take a good look at the surrounding countryside, including the valley. From this vantage, the buildings were tiny models, and the horses just moving dots.

"It's quiet out here," Roberto noted at last.

"Peaceful," Rahne corrected him.

"Be it ever so humble," said Brynn, giving Doug a grin.

"I'm just not used to it," Roberto went on.

"City life'll do that to you," Kellen nodded, sagely.

Suddenly, Rahne looked skyward, and her arm shot up, pointing to the northeastern sky. "There's Dani!"

"Where?" Kellen demanded, looking around at ground level. "I thought you said she was flying in?"

"She is, Kell," Doug grinned, as his eyes gradually focused on the white speck in the sky. "Come on, let's get down there to meet her!"

"What, is she in a private plane or something?" Kellen asked, now scanning the sky. "I don't see anything. Where's she gonna land?"

"I don't believe it," Brynn said softly, following the others' gaze. "I see it, but I don't believe it."

"Believe it, Brynn," Doug said, giving her a little slap on the shoulder as he guided Woodlock around with his knees and started back down the trail. "Let's move it!"

Even as the others followed, Kellen was still scanning the sky. At length, he gave up and nudged Clip into a canter, bringing up the rear.
 
 

"Papa!" Doug called, as he, Brynn, and Rahne came down from the hill, riding straight for the pasture gates to where Michael was waiting for them. "Rider coming!"

"What's that, lad?" Michael asked as the seven riders reined in.

"It's Danielle, Papa," Brynn explained in an excited voice. "She's riding in. And you're not going to believe this!"

"Ridin' in?" Michael asked. "I thought she was flyin' in."

"That's what I thought, too," said Kellen.

"That's just it!" Brynn went on, not even trying to contain her excitement any longer. "She's riding and flying in!"

"There she is!" called Rictor, pointing over the mountains.

They turned to watch as Brightwind crested the hilltops, his huge wings beating to take him up over the rise, then fanning out as he glided down into the valley. Danielle was mounted on his back, her long black braids trailing behind her as they flew.

"Sweet mother o'God," Michael whispered.

"What?" Kellen demanded, losing patience. "Where is she?"

"Kelly, don't you see it?" Brynn asked, quietly.

"See what?"

"That!"

Brightwind touched down about a hundred yards from the gathering, and folded his wings as he trotted up to meet them. Dani was waving and grinning, and her smile turned to happy shock as she noticed Roberto. "Bobby! Long time no see!"

Kellen, who had been looking the other way, turned around at the sound of her voice, and nearly fell out of his saddle. "Geez, how'd she get there?"

All eight riders dismounted, and Dani stepped into the group to give Roberto a bearhug. "You're looking... well, Dani!" Roberto commented. "Did you grow, or did I shrink?"

"Prolly the latter, shorty," she grinned at him. "And you look suspiciously unlike the billionaire's son."

"He's slumming with us poor student types," Ric laughed.

Dani noticed the looks of reverent shock she and Brightwind were getting from Michael and Brynn, so she looked over at Doug. "So, shall we make introductions?"

"Feels like I've been doing this for weeks now," Doug smiled. "Dani, this is my grandfather, Michael McAudry, and these are my cousins Brynn and Kellen. Papa, Brynn, Kell, this is Danielle Moonstar, and her friend Brightwind."

"It's a pleasure, sir," Dani nodded to Michael, shaking his hand. "I owe you my thanks for offering to take care of him."

"Please, call me Papa Mike," he said, vaguely. "Lass, are my poor eyes deceivin' me, or am I seein' what I think I'm seein'?"

"He's real, Papa," Doug said, softly.

Danielle looked back at Brightwind, and the stallion took a few steps closer. "Brightwind, this is Michael McAudry. He's going to be taking care of you while I'm at school."

Brightwind nodded to his mistress, then gazed into first Michael's eyes, then Brynn's, and bowed before them. It was a complicated bow, seeing as this is not a gesture horses were well built for, but it was unmistakably just that.

Michael dropped slowly to one knee himself, then, more out of shock than anything else. "Lass, the pleasure's mine," he said. "I never thought I'd live t'see one such as this..."

"You and me both, Papa," Brynn whispered.

"Papa!" came a much younger voice, as Lon came running down from the ranch house. "Gramma says to tell you that lunch is nearly ready!" He pulled up short at the sight of Brightwind, and his eyes bugged. "Oh, wow!"

Michael found first his feet, then his voice. "Uh... tell her we'll be up in a moment, son. We need to stable the kids' horses... and find a new home for Dani's, here..."

Lon nodded quickly, eyes still bugged, then ran back up to the ranch house with all speed.

"Can't keep this family waiting at lunchtime," Michael said to the group. "Let's get back t' the stables."

Brynn led the majority of them off toward the stable, but Kellen, Doug and Michael hung back with Dani and Brightwind. "Look," said Kellen, almost testily. "Am I missing something? He's a beauty of a horse, and I guess he knows a few tricks, but why's everyone freaking out?"

"Ye can't tell me ye can't see what he is, Kellen," said Michael.

"Not unless he truly wants to," Dani answered, cryptically.

"See what? He's a big white horse. So?"

Brightwind turned away from Michael, then, and took a step toward Kellen, looking into his eyes. For a while, Asgardian stallion and human just stared at one another, and then Kellen's eyes began to widen.

Doug had only seen Kellen cry once. It was over ten years past, when one of Kellen's favorite horses had died from pneumonia. He'd found Kellen sitting out on the fence later, sobbing. Kellen had never admitted to this, of course. Now, though, soft tears rolled unabashed down his cheeks as he saw past his own perception of Brightwind, and into the reality. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes, then tentatively reached out to lay his hand on the side of Brightwind's huge face. "I don't believe it..." he whispered, tears still flowing freely.

"Of course you do," Dani replied, softly.

Around the ranch, "lunch" was the largest meal of the day, with all the family seated around the big dining table. Papa Mike would always say grace, Buck and Matthew would invariably discuss politics, and Brynn, Brian and Kellen would clear the table and do the dishes afterwards. The place had a sense of stability and changelessness, even at mealtime, that none of the mutants were used to. Even though it was the first visit for most, it was obvious that they were taking part in what was more or less a family ritual.

Extra chairs had been added for the guests, and a second table was placed up against the main dining table to provide more room. After Papa Mike said the blessing, everyone dug in with gusto, passing dishes around and helping themselves.

Helen McAudry was the archetype of country grandmother, and was full of questions for Doug's friends. "So, Roberto," she said to him, "I don't recall hearin' about you from Doug. Are you goin' to school with everyone else?"

"Um, no, ma'am," he replied with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "I'm only visiting."

"Oh," she nodded. "So where're you goin' to school?"

"I'm... not," he shrugged.

"Workin' man, then?" Buck asked then. He was giving Roberto an almost disdainful look.

"Yes, actually," Roberto agreed. He was hoping the family would find someone else to question, and take him off the spot.

He didn't get his wish. "So where you workin'?" Buck pressed.

Ignoring the amused looks he was getting across the table from Dani and Rahne, he answered in a low, rapid voice. "I'm the chief executive and owner of eighty percent of the stock in DaCosta Enterprises, based out of Rio de Janeiro."

"Oh, that's nice," Helen smiled warmly. "Would you like some cornbread?"

"Yes, please." He shot a desperate look to Doug, who apparently took pity on him, and spoke next.

"Say, Uncle Buck, speaking of school, how's the gang doing?"

Buck snorted. "Never thought we'd have three of you kids in school at once. It's gonna break this place."

"Oh, now hush," Helen admonished him. "B'sides, we got four of 'em in school now." She said this last pointing to Doug and smiling.

"Well, it'll be five soon, right?" Doug asked. "Brynn, aren't you still going to State this fall?"

There was silence at the table for a while, and Brynn did not take her eyes from her plate. "Brynn?" Doug prompted.

"I'm... going to stay out here another year," she said, softly. "I think it'd be best if I took the time off."

There was more to it than that, Doug could tell, but it went unsaid over the clink of silverware and glasses. Papa Mike cleared his throat and changed the subject again. "So, Dani... I hope Brightwind enjoys his new stable."

"Oh, he does," Danielle nodded, with a mischievous smile.

"Ah. That's good... Er... What exactly does he eat, anyway?"

"For the most part, he doesn't. He'll eat hay or oats just like anyone else, but usually just when he's bored. He likes an apple or a carrot now and then, though."

"Oh, Michael tells me he's just the prettiest thing you ever laid eyes on," Helen smiled.

"Can I ride him sometime, Dani?" Lon asked, suddenly excited.

"Most certainly not, lad," Michael answered, quickly.

"Not by himself, definitely," Dani added. "But I'd be more than happy to take him on a ride with me some weekend, if you wouldn't object. He'd be perfectly safe."

"Really?" Lon exploded. "Dad, Papa, can I, please? Please?"

"We'll think about it, son," Matthew said firmly, settling the matter.

After the meal, most of the mutants stayed in the ranch house, enjoying Helen's hospitality, and hearing some monumentally embarrassing family stories about Doug's childhood. Doug himself pitched in with the dishes to avoid this. Later, after they towel-dried the last of the plates and cups, Doug and Brynn headed outside, to check in on Amalthea and her newborn.

"What do you think I should name him?" she asked, kneeling beside the colt and petting its now-dry coat.

"Don't ask me; I'm just visiting."

She patted the foal gently. "Maybe I should stick with the Elfquest names and call him 'Wing.' After all, he's Woodlock's last."

"Woodlock's youngest was named 'Mender.'"

"Yeah, but that's a lame name for a horse. Besides, it all kinda fits. He was born on the day Brightwind came, so maybe 'Wing' would be fitting." She kissed the horse on its tiny head. "What do you think?" she asked it.

"Can I ask you something, Brynn?"

She ignored his question. "I think your friends were a hit with the folks. Grandma doesn't break out the photo albums for just anyone."

Doug sighed. "Actually, I was waiting for Uncle Buck to slip up and call Rictor a wetback. Or a beaner, even."

"He wouldn't do that," she frowned.

"Sure he would. You know how he is. He blames everything bad that happens around here on illegal aliens. And he didn't look too pleased with Roberto or Warlock, either. Face it, Brynn. I love this family, but they've still got some good old-fashioned bigotry."

"Well, they don't mind that you're a mutant, do they?"

"Probably because I'm family. My friends don't have that advantage."

Brynn gave Doug a look that she'd probably learned from his mother. "Don't be stupid. Give the folks a little credit, will you? I'm sure everyone'll get to like your friends just fine. They're good people." She then turned her attention back to Wing.

He nodded. "Okay. But I still have a question for you, you know."

"Wow, just look at him... I think he's gonna be huge."

"Brynn," Doug said, loading the single word with unsaid concerns.

She looked up at him. "What?"

"You wanted to go to State, didn't you?"

After a pause, she looked away again. "I don't think it'd be a good idea right now. It's just another year."

"Bull. Besides which, every year it's getting tougher to get into a good school. You were accepted this year, but you might not be next time."

"Then I'll go to a J. C. for a while. Doug, I need a break."

He gave her a Look. "So which one of them talked you into it? Papa? Your dad? Uncle Buck?"

"Doug, you can just butt out, okay?" she snapped, her voice suddenly heated. "It's nothing you'd understand."

At this, Doug's face hardened. "I see. Y'know, you're beginning to sound like Kellen used to. 'You don't know what it's like, Doug. You never lived out here.' Excuse the hell out of me for not being born a McAudry."

Realizing the harshness of her words, Brynn sighed and tried to apologize. "I didn't mean it like that."

"No, I think you did. But try me anyway; I might surprise you."

They looked at one another for a while. "Okay," she sighed at length. "The truth is that they still need me here. But it's only for another year, and then I'll be able to go back to school."

Doug nodded. "Go on."

"That's it."

"No, it isn't."

"How can you tell?"

"Your tone of voice and your bearing. Body language."

"Ah," she nodded. "And you are the language man, eh?"

"Yep. Come on, Brynn, tell me. Are you scared to leave?"

She thought about this for a while. "I might be. A little."

"I know," Doug replied, gently. "It's the same with Kellen and Brian. This is the only place they've ever known, and I think they'd be content to stay here the rest of their lives and be cowboys. I always thought you wanted more than that, though."

"I... don't know. Not anymore. I mean, is there anything wrong with wanting to stay with the family business? Papa Mike's not getting any younger, you know."

He crouched beside her, and put a hand out to pat Wing. "There's nothing at all wrong with it, if it's what you want to do. I just hope you'll think about whether or not it is."

She nodded again. "So will you get ticked if I take this year to think about it?"

Doug laughed. "No, I won't get ticked," he chided. "I just don't want anyone else to make your decisions for you. That's been done to me a lot in the last few years, and I get defensive when I think I see it happening to my friends and family."

"Well, don't worry. I'll do what I want to, okay?"

"That's all I needed to know."

Kellen stepped into the stables, looking around for the new occupant. He found Brightwind in his new stall with Danielle, and the two were involved, respectively, in getting and giving a good brushing.

Brightwind noticed him at once, and snorted in his direction, stomping one hoof. At this, Dani looked around and saw him. "Oh, hi!" she smiled. "What's up?"

"Just passing through," he answered.

Dani shrugged. "Fair enough," she said, and kept brushing.

For a long time, he pretended to check on a few of the other horses in their stalls, but could not take his eyes from the stallion and his rider. He watched, fascinated, as she went on with her task.

"Can I ask a stupid question?" he asked, finally.

"Ain't no such thing. Shoot."

"Is he... real?"

"As real as you and I," she smiled at him. "As real as anything else these days. Hard to believe?"

"Yes," he nodded, emphatically.

"Look at it this way. There are real-life mutants in the world with Powers Beyond Mere Mortals, or so they keep telling me. You're talking to one right now. There are superheroes, and some of 'em claim to be gods from old myths. There have been alien invasions the Spirit only knows how many times. What's so weird about a horse with wings?"

Kellen said nothing. Dani finished with Brightwind's mane, then fished around the stall for another brush, which she tossed to him. "Want to help me with the wings?"

"Uh... sure."

Brightwind fanned out his wings obligingly, and turned his head to look at Kellen as he stepped into the stall. "You take right, I'll take left, okay?" said Dani.

"Yeah..."

"He keeps himself pretty clean, but there's only so much he can do by himself."

"Uh huh..."

"In between the larger feathers is the worst part."

"Right..."

"You aren't even listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"

"Yeah," he nodded absently. Then, he shook his head. "What?"

Dani laughed. "Dani to Kellen. Come in, Kellen."

"I'm here, I'm here," he muttered, almost defensively. He began applying the brush to the underside of Brightwind's wing.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Dani asked.

"They ain't worth all that," he shrugged, getting back to the brushing. After a few moments, he even managed to bring himself to smooth the feathers by hand, so that he could brush between and beneath them, like Dani was doing.

They continued for a long time, and Brightwind stood very still, apparently enjoying the attention. At length, Kellen spoke again.

"It's not fair..."

Dani looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

Kellen had stopped brushing, and was leaning against the wall of the stall, his eyes closed. "It's not fair."

"What isn't?" she asked, quietly.

"Did you ever read 'The Last Unicorn?'" he asked after a pause.

"Peter Beagle, right? Yeah, it was a good one."

"Brynn and I read that book a dozen times each when we were little," he said. "We used to pretend the horses here were unicorns, too. And we used to play Dungeons and Dragons without Grandma and Papa knowing, so we got ideas about ki-rin, and wind steeds... and... pegasuses."

"Pegasi."

"Yeah. I used to read Greek mythology a lot, and I remember... wishing... that there was a pegasus in the real world. I... used to dream about it. I dreamed that one day a pegasus was gonna come down out of the sky and carry me away from this place, and I'd never have to go to school, or have to get a job like regular folks... We'd live forever, and have adventures, and never die."

He was getting choked up again, and Dani lightly touched his thoughts. His story was that of his fondest wish; she could sense that this was deeper than any of his everyday twenty-year-old desires, and deeper than any hopes he carried from moment to moment. This was something torn from his soul -- something he'd never told anybody -- and here he was, sharing it with a complete stranger. His words of living forever hit home, though, and she wondered if he knew just how close his dream was to her reality.

"I used to sit up nights when the moon was full, watching the sky, and trying to imagine it happening. And it never did. I figured they just weren't real. Now, well, it looks like I was wrong."

His thoughts were so clear that they nearly triggered Danielle's power, and she forced her will against it. To see an illusion of his dream now would be cruel beyond measure. But would denying his dream be less so?

"All I wanna know," Kellen went on, tears beginning to fall anew, "is why now? Why do I haveta find out now, instead of ten years ago? Why... couldn't..." he trailed off.

"Why now, and not then?" Dani asked, gently, "or why me, and not you?"

"No," he said roughly, denying her last question. "Just why now. Why not when I was a kid, and still... believed in 'em?"

"Do you think you're too old to dream?"

"It was a lot easier back then."

Dani leaned against the stable wall opposite him. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Kellen. I guess it was easier back then, but it's not 'then' anymore. We take what life gives us."

He tossed down the brush and walked out of the stall. "Yeah, I guess we do," he muttered under his breath as he went.

"Hey, Kellen," Dani called after him.

He stopped, but didn't look around. "What?"

"I'll probably be out here most weekends to check up on him. If you want to talk about it then, I'll be around."

After a pause, he kept walking, and Danielle listened to his receding footsteps until they left the building. When she was certain that he was gone, she called out again. "You can come out now, Rahne."

Several stalls down, Rahne poked her head out, looking absolutely mortified. "Oh! H'lo, Dani. I- I was jus' comin' in to see Lucille... I didna' know ye..."

"Don't fib, Rahney, it's not your style," Dani chuckled. "I heard your thoughts while he and I were talking."

Rahne approached Brightwind's new stall, still looking tremendously abashed. "I thought ye couldna' read m'thoughts when I wasna' in animal form."

"I'm getting better," Dani shrugged. "How long were you over there?"

"Long enough," she sighed. "I hope he doesna' hold anythin' against ye."

Dani paused in reflection, looking up into Brightwind's eyes. "I don't think it'll be a problem. I imagine he'll just need time to think everything out on his own."

Rahne nodded. "Aye, I hope so."

"What time is it, kiddo?" Dani asked, deftly changing the subject.

"'Round six-thirty," Rahne replied, consulting her watch.

"Ah. And what time did Doug say he wanted to leave?"

"At seven, or thereabouts."

"Hm," Dani nodded. She picked up the discarded brush from the floor and tossed it to Rahne. "You want to give me a hand with the wings, then?"

"Aye."

They carried on in silence, neither wishing to spoil the relative peace with words. It had been a long time since the two of them had had any quiet time, Dani knew, and it would be difficult leaving Brightwind here, in spite of the knowledge that he would be well-cared for. Best to enjoy the time while they had it.

She thought about Kellen again, and a humorous thought came to her. Even as the McAudry family looked after Brightwind, perhaps he'd be looking out for them as well.

Brightwind agreed.

McAudry House, La Jolla CA 8:41 pm

Even after the trip out to the ranch and back, the chaos of the day was far from over. First, Danielle had to be given the nickel tour of the house, this time by Rahne and Rictor. She was shown into what was to become her bedroom, and she immediately began unpacking, unable to stand seeing all of her belongings in neat little boxes for much longer. In the meantime, Rahne, Rictor and Warlock tackled the whatever-room that adjoined the bedrooms, getting an early start on the decorating phase. Every so often, Danielle would come in, laughingly criticize their work and suggest alternatives, then go back to her own task. Roberto pitched in for a while as well, amid protests that he was on vacation and needed to take it easy. He joked that while this activity was a far cry from a night on the town in Rio, he was happy just to be with his friends.

Doug, however, spent most of the evening out on the deck, sipping a cold mineral water in silence, and just watching the motions of the dark, distant ocean. It was there that Roberto finally tracked him down.

"Feeling antisocial?" Roberto asked, sitting down next to him.

"As usual."

"Why don't you come in and help with the unpacking?"

"I will. In a minute."

Roberto watched Doug's impassive face for a while, then went on. "Rahne tells me you haven't been... yourself lately. She says it's been better since you arrived here, but you still have a tendency to brood on your own. What's happened?"

"You want the whole list, or just the top ten?"

"It must be something major, to change you this much."

"Ohhh, yeah," Doug said, with a half-smile. "I think everyone should have the opportunity to spend over two years dead, just to see how much it changes them."

"Do you think being alive for those two years hasn't changed the rest of us?"

"No, I'm all too aware of that, Bobby," Doug sighed. "While I was dead, Dani went to Asgard, Rahne got mutated and became a fed, you took off to run your dad's business, Amara went off to live with frigging Empath, no one's heard from X'ian, Sam went vigilante, Illyana got de-aged, and Professor Charles Bloody Xavier turned the X-Men into the effing Gestapo. And after I got back, my folks split up over my being a mutant. That's a lot of change hitting all at once, man. It hasn't been all that easy."

"How about Rahne being with Rictor?"

"There is that, yes," Doug sighed. "I've been trying to deal with that, too."

After a pause, Roberto patted Doug on the shoulder. "Look, I've been meaning to talk to you about some things."

"Such as?"

"Well..." he smiled, almost self-consciously, "I was wondering... I'd... I'd like to sponsor you."

Doug looked over and gave him a blank stare. "Excuse me?"

"I want to sponsor you. Your new team. I mean, you had Angel backing the X-Men, you have the government backing X-Factor, and you have the Hellfire Club backing the Hellions. I figure now that I have more money than I know what to do with, I can sponsor all of you."

"What, you mean pay our tuition?"

"That would be just the beginning," Roberto smiled. "This is a good house you have; there's lots of land to build with. Is there space to excavate for a danger room, do you think?"

"A danger room," Doug said, levelly.

"Right. Maybe below the center section would be best. And you'll need computers, of course. Computers, a good alarm system, and personal weaponry. Anything else you can think of?"

Doug looked nothing short of astounded by this. "Bobby," he said in a quiet voice, "that's really kind of you to offer, but... we don't need any of that. We're not here to be a hero group. If we wanted that, we would've joined the X-Men."

"You're not?" Roberto asked, his face creasing into a puzzled expression.

"No, we're not."

"Then why are you here? I'd assumed you came to the west coast because there are so few superheroes here."

"Oh, that's one of the reasons, actually. But not like you mean -- not because we wanted more operating room. We wanted to get away from the pointlessness of it all. Xavier has his plan, and now we've got ours."

"Well... what is it?"

"Hold on a second," Doug replied, getting up from his seat. He went back into the kitchen, rummaged in the fridge for a while, and came back with two more mineral waters, one of which he handed to Roberto. "This always seemed like the sort of thing you need to discuss over drinks," he explained.

"Fair enough," nodded Roberto, opening the twist-cap and taking a sip.

Doug took a long drink, then regarded his old teammate. "I know that back in our New Mutant days, you used to buck the system a lot. You even quit the school a time or two, right?"

Roberto nodded. "True."

"Well, aside from that, I want you to tell me something honestly. What did you think of Xavier's School? Forget about Cable. Forget about Magneto flipping out after I got killed. Other than the shit that went down at the end, what did you think of the place?"

There was a pause, as Roberto thought about this. "Honestly? Well, speaking honestly, you're no doubt aware of how I've always hated authority figures."

"That was no secret," Doug smiled.

"This wasn't the best thing in the world, considering we had Xavier, then Magneto. Both of them pretty much... radiate authority. I had my problems getting along with both of them. But other than that, when in the company of the team... of my friends, I remember thinking sometimes how good it was that the school was there. Otherwise, we'd have had no place to go. We could be dead by now, or working for some mutant terrorist, or something even worse."

Doug nodded. "I feel the same way. I was glad to have a place like that. The sad truth is that this place is dead and gone. Xavier's admitted a whopping total of one new student in the last two years, and she spends so much time out on missions with the X-Men that she's flunking half her classes. And d'you want to hear what's even scarier?"

"Tell me."

"I've just recently started keeping contact again with Tarot, from the Hellions. Do you remember her?"

"Yes. Didn't the two of you use to fight like cats and dogs?"

"We got over it."

"Ah."

"Anyway, over at the Massachusetts Academy, there are twenty-one Hellions now. Three teams of 'em. While Xavier's been lax about finding new mutants, the White Queen's been gathering them up. Now, as much as I like some of the Hellions, and as much as Miss Frost helped us a few years back when we were all mind-shocked by the Beyonder, I don't like it that she's got this many mutant students. I don't like it a bit. But with Xavier running his school like a military camp, her academy's probably the safest place in the world for mutants to go these days."

"That's a frightening thought," said Roberto, softly. "So what does this mean for you?"

Doug spread his arms to either side. "What it means, Bobby, is that the world needs that safe place again. The world needs a school for mutants -- for anyone with superhuman powers or abilities. A place where they can get an education, and learn control of their powers. Not in preparation to become fighting forces, and not in preparation to take over the world, but in preparation to become contributing members of society."

"So... you want to start a school like Xavier's used to be?"

"Like Xavier's, only with a few key differences. First off, it wouldn't just be for mutants, or for superhumans. Anyone could come. Normal folks, abnormal folks... anyone. Most importantly, though, is that we go public with it."

Roberto was shocked. "What?"

"You heard me right. We tell the world that we're mutants, and that we're starting a school where mutants and humans can live and learn in peace."

"That's crazy," said Roberto, shaking his head. "No one would send their kids to school with a bunch of mutants."

"I think you'd be surprised. There are a lot of folks who wouldn't, true, but at the same time, I think there are more than enough open-minded people to fill that school. We don't need to convert the world, after all, just set an example for them, and show the general public that peace is a possibility after all."

"And what happens when Stryfe comes knocking at your hallowed halls, or someone like that?"

"I'm willing to bet they won't," Doug shrugged. "If they attacked us, they'd be setting themselves up as enemies to mutants, and I don't think that's what any of them want. When mutant groups fight the X-Men, as far as the everyman's concerned, it's just one faction fighting another, and leaving the rest of the world to get hit by the shrapnel. That's because no one really knows what the X-Men are supposed to be about. If the prof ever had the balls to go public, they might have had a chance, but by staying in the shadows, he's made the X-Men nothing more than another anonymous group of renegade muties."

For a moment, Roberto was robbed of a response. "That's a bunch of pretty radical thoughts there, Doug. I don't know if the 'everyman' you talked about is ready for all of that yet."

"I hope to find out. But this isn't just about mutant equality."

He paused to take a drink, and Roberto prompted him to go on. "Oh?"

"The prof used to say that we needed to use our powers to help the whole world, and that since no two of our powers were alike, we would each be able to help the world in our own way. Well, my powers are completely based in communication, learning, and understanding. I can't think of a better way to use them than to fight ignorance. We've got something like ninety million illiterate people in this country, and that makes me sick. The world needs more schools than bomb shelters. In the same way, the world needs more mutants as teachers than mutants as so-called heroes."

Roberto nodded again. "Well, you seem pretty convinced. What about the rest of the group?"

"Dani wants in on it," Doug replied. "She was the first one I told all of this to, and she's been no end of support. Warlock's all for it; he loves the whole concept of schools. Rahne and Rictor I'm not so sure about, to be honest. I've told both of them about the plan, and Rahne seems to think it's a good idea, but isn't sure yet if it's what she wants. Ric's pretty passive, though; I think he just came here to be with Rahne. But that's okay -- neither one of them wanted to stay with the X-Men, and I won't begrudge them if they aren't in for the long haul."

"You were right," Roberto said then. "Being dead did change you. I don't remember you ever being a visionary."

"The previous generation of mutant leaders dropped the ball," Doug said with a slight shrug. "It's up to us to pick it up and run with it. That starts here, at this university. Bobby, if you still want to sponsor us, don't worry about danger rooms and computer systems. Just hold the thought for a few years, and help us break ground on building this school."

The two sat wordlessly on the deck a while longer, looking out at the lights of an anonymous ship on the distant horizon. Just as it seemed that Roberto would reply, though, they were interrupted by the sounds of running footsteps from inside the house, and Danielle all but burst out through the door. "Doug, Bobby, you'd better come quick!"

"What's up, Dani?"

"We just got the TV hooked up, and all the local channels are showing the same news report... There's a big skyscraper downtown that's on fire."

Doug and Roberto looked at one another, then quickly got to their feet and followed Danielle back down the hall into the living wing, where Rahne, Rictor and Warlock were watching the television intently. Doug had the grim feeling he'd been through something like this before, but couldn't place it...

"...police have cleared the area to prevent any injuries from falling glass or other debris," the newscaster was saying, as the camera made a somewhat wobbly pan up the face of a monolithic black skyscraper in the downtown area.

"That's the Darth Vader building," Doug said, absently.

"What?" asked Ric, looking around at him.

"The Imperial Bank building. It's this big monstrous black tower between sixth and seventh. Everyone calls it the Darth Vader building."

"Sssh!" hissed Rahne, as the newscaster's voice came back on.

"No one knows for certain how the blaze started, but even now, the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth floors are completely engulfed in flames, and they seem to be spreading upwards rapidly. Police helicopters have made several rescue lifts from the roof of the building, but we've had reports that there may still be people trapped in the twentieth through twenty-third floors. As yet, firefighters have been unable to contain the flames, and police fear that air evacs may become impossible if the fire spreads to the top four stories..."

Doug stared at the picture on the screen, as huge gouts of flame roared from four shattered floors of the tower, and slowly became aware that everyone else was looking at him, including Roberto.

"She said there may still be people alive," Rahne whispered.

Doug swallowed hard as he nodded. The top floors of the building were a deathtrap. Police couldn't get through to rescue the people inside, nor could firefighters, before it would be too late.

But maybe a team of mutant heroes could.

"I'm going," he said, very quietly. "Who's with me?"

"Let's do it," nodded Dani.

"Count me in," added Roberto, his face now deadly serious.

Warlock chimed in agreement, as did Rictor and Rahne, without a moment of hesitation. Doug was mildly shocked at their unanimous decision, and he was both elated and deeply frightened to see the five of them looking to him for leadership in the midst of this dangerous situation.

"Warlock, how quickly can you get us there?" he asked.

"Self will form air-transport with all speed," Warlock replied. Doug nodded, and the technoid took off for the front door.

"We'll need costumes," Doug said then, almost to himself. "Where are the outfits Forge gave us?"

"I packed 'em away in my closet," Dani answered. "I'll get 'em."

"Good. Meet us out front, quick as you can. Come on, people, let's move!"

Doug raced for the front doors, followed by Rahne, Roberto and Ric. By the time they were out of the house, Warlock had already formed himself into a sophisticated VTOL jet and parked himself on the front lawn. He lowered a hatch for the mutants, and they climbed aboard. Dani joined them a moment later, carrying a big box of X-logo team costumes.

When they were all aboard, Doug spoke again. "Warlock, we need to make as quiet an exit as possible. Maximum stealth, okay? We can't afford to blow our cover yet."

"Understood," Warlock responded, his voice coming from a grille set into the side of the main cabin. "Prepare for takeoff."

The five held on to various parts of the Warlock-plane as he made a silent, swift ascent, clearing the tall trees that surrounded the house, and took off to the south. "Location query for Darth Vader building?" came Warlock's voice from the grille again.

"Take us to a good height, then follow I-5 south," Doug replied. "That'll take us right into the downtown area. Okay, everyone, let's get changed and get ready."

Dani rummaged through the costume box, and threw one to each of them. "Here's yours, Rahne. Bobby, we've got lots of spares; this one ought to fit you. Your power won't burn it, will it?"

"It never did before," said Roberto, stripping off his shirt. He then looked over at Doug, his face somewhere between stone sober and humored. "So, Doug, you still think the world doesn't need mutant teams?"

"Ask me again in a few hours. I might even have an answer."

They sped on, well out of sight above the lit-up streets.
 
 

Next: "Fire on High"

Go West #3: "Watershed"
by Jeremy Bottroff, 15 September 1993

This story (c) 1993, 1999 Jeremy Bottroff

"Watershed" performed by Indigo Girls, words and music by Emily Saliers, (c) 1990, 1999 Godhap Music, BMI, from the album NOMADS, INDIANS, SAINTS

Amara Aquila (Magma), Beyonder, Brightwind, Marie-Ange Colbert (Tarot), Emannuel DaCosta, Roberto DaCosta (Sunspot), Manuel De la Rocha (Empath), Forge, Emma Frost (White Queen), Sam Guthrie (Cannonball), Magneto, X'ian Coy Manh (Karma), Danielle Moonstar (Mirage), Douglas Ramsey (Cypher), Sheila Ramsey, Illyana Rasputin (Magik), Rictor, Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane), Stryfe, Warlock, Nathan Winters (Cable), Warren Worthington III (Angel), Charles Xavier (Professor X), DaCosta Enterprises, Hellfire Club, Massachusetts Academy, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Hellions, New Mutants, X-Factor, X-Men (c) 1999 Marvel Entertainment Group

Brynn McAudry created by David Olson and Jeremy Bottroff, (c) 1999 Ol' Sambu and Wolfsong.  (This Brynn just doesn't go around hacking up demons with her holy sword, that's all...)

The McAudry family (Brian, Helen, Kellen, Linda, Lon, Matthew, Michael, William [Buck]) created by and (c) 1999 Jeremy Bottroff

Elfquest, Mender, Wing, Woodlock (c) 1999 Warp Graphics

Superman (c) 1999 DC Comics

Lt. Commander Data, Star Trek (c) 1999 Paramount

Darth Vader (c) 1999 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Dungeons and Dragons (c) 1999 TSR/Wizards of the Coast

"The Last Unicorn" was written by Peter Beagle, and is highly recommended for anyone who thinks they know all there is to know about the myth of the unicorn.  It's also where the author first heard the name Amalthea.

The Imperial Bank Building, Lake Cuyamaca, San Diego State University, and the cities of Cuyamaca, Julian and La Jolla, California, are again all real places.  And yes, people really do call it the Darth Vader Building.  The author remains reticent as to which floors he worked on during a seven-week temp job in the late eighties, however...