This is the first of my smaller, "Part--sized" stories about individual characters in the "All is fair..." universe. I decided to take a break from "All is Fair..", just to write this little ditty, starring one of marvel's most evil (and my personal favourite) Villain. All New Mutants, X--Men, etc. characters belong to Marvel comics. Any others are mine, ALL MINE!!!!! Author -- D. Cypher Email -- Darryll_Newvani@Hotmail.com Title -- All is fair in love, war, and mutancy -- Short story 1 Doing the 'Right' Thing (Cameron Hodge, The Angel) Summary -- In an alternate universe where the Xavier mansion is a gigantic school complex (and where certain characters are younger than they should be -- BLAME CONTINUITY!), Cameron Hodge contemplates his fear of mutants, alongside his role as a business studies and economics teacher at Xavier's. Genre -- Humour, Real--life Issues Notes -- This is a just a little short story I thought up when I was bored. Thanks to Nicolas Giard and Luba for the great support. FOH stands for Friends of Humanity, an Anti--Mutant organisation. Cameron Hodge + Warren -- Doing the "Right" thing By D. Cypher Dedicated to Nicolas Giard -- For some great ideas and a great friend, even though I've only known him a couple of days. Laughing and shouting -- it's all the little energetic bastards seemed to be able to do. Maybe that was a latent, world-wide mutant ability -- to be so high on crack and caffeine in your bloodstream that you were able to irritate even the most stalwart and usually calm of economics teachers. He stared down into his pint glass, and watched an amber coloured, gloomy reflection of himself stare back. He lifted his arm and consulted the time -- 2:48, Friday afternoon. He shouldn't really have a drink at this time, but the morning had been soooooooo hard, trying not to scream at the de la Rocha kid who had been insulting poor young Toynbee. Again. For about the umpteenth time that week. Plus Warren had promised to cover his 2:00 business studies class -- he just didn't want to face that smart-mouthed little-freak Dacosta. He wasn't in the mood. Today, Cameron Hodge wasn't in the mood for teaching any mutie, full stop. And so he took another gulp of the bitter concoction. He remembered the first day he developed a hatred of mutants -- a well-brought-up-student at Harvard, sharing a room with a care-free, sex-mad-son-of-a-millionaire-who-refused-to-remove- that-hideous-beige-body-stocking. The TV broadcast said something about Senator Robert Kelly, and how he was campaigning to eliminate a world-wide menace that consisted of people powerful enough to destroy your mind. *********** "Can't they just leave us in peace?" he remembered asking Warren, sliding his glasses to the base of his nose. "They can destroy their own minds -- leave us in peace!" "Well... they can't all be bad. Plus -- some of those special abilities must be real neat to play around with! Imagine how many girls you could pick up if you had..." Warren paused "...wings! Yeah! Big, feathery wings! Like an angel! What then!" Cameron smiled, "Yeah, I guess wings'd be cool -- everyone's wanted to fly at at least one point in their lives. But telepathy? That's a different matter entirely!" *********** The conversation had died instantly after that. "Why..." he murmured to himself, his head in his hands, trying to drown out the sounds of mutants' laughter, "......why did I ever let Warren talk me into this.." *********** "No way, Warren... you're nuts!" Cameron raised himself onto his forearms as he leaned over his own college-desk towards Warren. "No freakin' way! First you tell me you're a mutant -- big feathery wings belonging to my best friend, I can handle -- but to TEACH a bunch of pubescent little psychics and fire-throwers????" "Cameron... please!" The Angel looked his sympathetic, needy best, facing Hodge in despair. "You'll keep almost the same job you have here -- of course, it'll be high-school kids, not college-students -- easier to teach in my book!" "No way! I'm too busy here! I like this job -- It's rewarding! Teaching muties how to destroy the world is somehow not!!" He sunk into his seat and tried to get back to work, but Warren just didn't seem to want to leave. "You don't want to see more mutants killed by bigots like the FOH, do you, Cam'?" He refused to tell Warren about 'that' ralley he had gone to. He slipped a hand into his pocket to cover the badge his conscience kept refusing to let him wear. "Of course not! Mutants -- like you --deserve a chance at life... but... I just... don't know if I could... handle... teaching them day after... day!" "As long as you consider it, I won't ask you again. That Ok?" "Sure." "You up for a drink tonight?" "Sure." "Six Ok?" "Fine." "Ok -- See you then." "Whatever." Warren turned, his head still looking for concern in his friend's eyes, but found only attention for his work. The door opened, and a small figure moved into the office. "Everything go well, Warren?" came the third voice. Cameron looked up at his work to see a bald man in a wheelchair. "P--Professor! What are you doing here?" "I was only concerned about your mission to recruit Mr. Hodge." "And you are...?" asked Cameron sceptically from over his glasses. The bald guy turned and smiled. "Charles Francis Xavier -- I'm sure Warren mentioned me?" He offered a handshake. Cameron smiled and took his hand. *********** He chuckled to himself. "You smooth talking guy, Xavier..." he whispered to himself, slowly rotating his glass in his hand, "...wasn't for you, I wouldn't be wasting my butt teaching muties five days a week." "Mr.Hodge, sir?" Cam' looked up to see Illyana Rasputin behind the bar, smiling at him while holding a phone in one hand and pumping a drink with the other. "Yes?" "Phone's for you." "Oh -- Thanks." He took the phone from her. "Welcome" she said, then went back to preparing someone's pint. "Hello? Cameron Hodge here." Cam' spoke to the handset. "You'll never guess what just happened by the drama block!?" began Warren. "Huh?" "You know that daCosta kid you don't like? Guess who just gave him a thorough bashing!" "No clue... could be anyone in this school -- but my money's on Drake." "Almost -- Drake 'cooled him off' afterwards. Give you one clue -- 'Holy jumpin' Beezers Mr.Hodge! Who'll maintain the world once Bill Gates is gone?!'" "Ramsey????" "Young Douglas ran rings 'round him apparently! Betsy just told me now... He's here in the infirmary having his shoulder fixed." "Wow." "You Ok Cam'? You don't sound that good." "I'm just a little down, that's all." "Say what, Cam' -- You free this weekend?" "Why?" "Me an' Betsy are heading off to this nice little hardly-heard-of island resort off the coast of Africa this evening -- we don't come back till Monday morn' -- You wanna come with us?" "Wow -- Ok, I guess so." "Cool! Me and Bets'll call for you at 6." "Ok." "See you then, buddy!" "See you." Cameron turned off the phone, and passed the phone back to Illyana. He reached down into his pocket to check for his passport, but on further feel, all he could was his wallet, carkeys... and the little FOH badge he had carried for 6 months. "Illyana?" he looked up to address the girl. "Yes, Mr.Hodge?" "What do you think of those FOH creeps?" "The Friends of Humanity? If I had my way, they'd all be demon-gnome food." Cam' chuckled again, his fist tighening around the badge, feeling it break in two. "Yeh, just what I thought...." *********** Betsy and Warren moved to the front, while Cameron followed up the steps to the plane, last in line as usual. As he reached the entrance to the 747, he paused to look at the writing on the side of the giant plane. "Ge--No--Sha," he smiled, "sounds like a nice place." "I wonder if they like feathery wings?" END