psinex@yahoo.com Walking Arc: Laborious Gatherings by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Everyone here is Marvel's, except for Danny, who's mine. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. CONTINUITY: Between New Shoes and Firewalking (this arc's first multi-part story, coming soon...) ------------------------------------------------------- The tale so far: On an alternate Earth, Jean Grey awoke from her stasis in time to drive off the Phoenix Jean, and wed Scott Summers, producing twins: Rachel and Nathan. A number of other superhero couples also reproduced around the same time, giving rise to a new generation of mutant children. 14 years later, those children have entered high school. America knows they are mutants... and bears them no ill will. This Earth's United States of America offers mutants the Kelly Act, ensuring civil rights for all parahumans, in 1998 following the defeat of Operation: Zero Tolerance by the combined might of mutant and non-mutant superhero teams. The X-Men and their offshoots have been welcomed, even applauded, for their efforts to help save the nation from the horrors of the Prime Sentinels. Some of the new generation of mutants have seen their dreams sundered because of the less palatable aspects of the Kelly Act; Franklin Richards has found himself barred from the Summer Olympics because his powers emerged (SEE Walk on Water). Others, such as Charles Lehnsherr, believe that no matter how much legislation humans pass, mutants and humans can never live together because humans are still beneath mutants on the evolutionary scale (SEE Namesake). And then, there are those mutants caught between the genetic "sides," such as Daniela Davies-Creed - daughter of Graydon Creed, who survived his assassination attempt on this Earth, and who still nurtures the diseased seed of anti-mutant hatred (SEE New Shoes). At last, they have gathered to learn of each other, and themselves... ... and either shape tomorrow, or forever destroy it. ------------------------------------------------------- From the Private Journal of Daniela Creed: 9/4/00: ------------------------------------------------------- How in the heck did I ever end up here? Snow Valley: The Godforsaken end of Massachusetts, at an elitist snob school for elitist snob kids and the occasional mutant on a scholarship. OK, lemme back up (I've gotta get used to this voice-recorder Palm Diary, not a bad design, I have to admit...): Name, Daniela "Danny" Davies-Creed, daughter of Graydon Creed and some nameless maid of his he rolled almost 15 years ago. Oh yeah. I'm a mutant metamorph whose base form is that of a human-sized punk Smurf without the stupid hat, and my hair's gone purplish-red. The past month went by fast; I've got basic control over my power, meaning I won't turn into a lobster if I get surprised. I've even got a fast-healing ability (Doctor MacTaggart -- or a genderswapped Scotty, as I like to call her, just not to her face -- says it's related to my power). After the X-Men pulled me out of the middle of Wyoming, I ended up out here. Evidently, exiling my "potentially dangerous little mutant spawn of Graydon Creed" self to Massachusetts was their way of keeping me out of the X-Mansion's more sensitive areas. Even two years after the Kelly Act pardoned and legitimized them, the X-types are pretty sensitive about their security. Can't say I blame them; I was pretty bitchy for the first couple of weeks after my mutation manifested. When your skin really CAN crawl, it gets pretty harsh on your sanity. That's probably why they gave me to Emma Frost. She kept my head on -- and dug around in it a little much for my taste -- while I dealt with my whole life falling into pieces. So, I guess I owe her something. Then there's Dr. Moira MacTaggart (who's really nicer than I let on), and Mr. Cassidy ("Call me Sean, lass" -- tres Sean Connery, but Sean's Irish, not Scots) -- they helped me... they were... nice to me. That's a little weird, yet, having people be nice to me. Dad never hit me, but he yelled a lot; I think he wanted a son. (Although if I HAD been a boy, I probably would've turned out like Grandpa Victor, and Dad might've never even made it to the presidential race in '96...) And today, I get to meet my mutant classmates. They're coming a day early to get "acclimated" to the school and the campus; we'll be with the human students in most classes and at lunch, but we'll room with each other. (Question: Is allowing mutant students to room together a way of having someone around who's supposed to "understand" us? Or is it just to protect the humans in case our powers go crazy some night?) I gotta stop that -- I'm sounding as paranoid as Dad... ------------------------------------------------------- 9/4/00: Mass. Acad. Danger Room Control Center: 07:45 hrs EDT: ------------------------------------------------------- "T'is that the final mutant student list?" Sean Cassidy asked, rubbing the perpetual red fuzz of the goatee Moira had failed to convince him looked stupid on him. "Yes," the platinum-haired woman at the control console said, handing Sean a copy. Emma Frost steepled her hands and continued, smiling faintly, "Quite the bumper crop this year. And all the same age." "Almost," Sean replied evenly, pointing to a name he circled in red. "She c'ld be a concern -- an seventh-grader in amongst freshmen..." "Sean, I really didn't have a choice," Emma replied, keeping her composure despite the annoyance at the back of her mind. "She has powers she can barely control, and potentially dangerous ones at that. Besides, she could prove a fascinating cross-cultural student." "She's lived in Manhattan f'r most o'her life," Sean replied. He shrugged and said, "Whatever. I just hope we c'n help the lass." "Of that, I have little doubt. We survived Generation X, did we not?" Emma said, smiling again. Sean rolled his eyes and looked at the list. ------------------------------------------------------- PSI-LORD: Real Name: Richards, Franklin Benjamin Age: 14 DOB: 6/3/86 Height: 5'6" Weight: 120 lbs Hair: Blond Eyes: Blue Powers: Omega-class psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, clairsentience, pre/retrocognition, astral projection), energy manipulation, biokinesis, chronokinesis, spationkinesis, entropokinesis, meteorokinesis, matter creation/manipulation FIREWING: Real Name: Summers, Rachel Anne Age: 14 DOB: 6/6/86 Height: 5'1" Weight: 100 lbs Hair: Red Eyes: Green Powers: Alpha-class psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, pre/retrocognition); possible chronokinesis ------------------------------------------------------- "You let your hair grow out," Rachel observed, floating in the middle of the athletic center's pool while she watched Frank stride towards the water from the men's locker room. "Well, it's not like there's a lot of benefit to keeping it short, now that I can't swim competitively," Frank replied good-naturedly as he dove in. He surfaced, paddling to Rachel, and took her hand with a tender expression. "Relax. I'm not guilting myself anymore over what happened at Colorado Springs," Rachel said, smiling at Frank. "You mean too much to me to sour our relationship with angst." "And you mean too much to me for me to be angry at you," Frank said sincerely. "I never felt like that, Ray." "I KNOW, already! But there is one thing you could do for me," Rachel asked, sliding into Frank's arms. "Name it," Frank said, his lips inches from hers. "Keep wearing your old style of swimsuits." "Your wish is my command." SMOOCH ------------------------------------------------------- SOULBURN Real Name: Summers, Nathan Christopher Charles AGE: 14 DOB: 6/6/86 HEIGHT: 5'2" WEIGHT: 109 lbs HAIR: Brown w/white stripe EYES: Blue (left glows bright gold when powers are active). POWERS: Alpha-class psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection, pre/retrocognition), chronokinesis MORPHOGEN Real Name: Davies-Creed, Daniela Grace AGE: 14 DOB: 8/1/86 HEIGHT: Variable (usually 5') WEIGHT: Variable (usually 95 lbs) HAIR: Variable (usually magenta) EYES: Variable (usually blue) SKIN: Variable (usually blue) POWERS: Alpha-class metamorphosis, healing factor ------------------------------------------------------- "Well," Danny said, smiling at the figure standing before her in the Danger Room, "this is a nice surprise. The other figure was a Caucasian boy, about Danny's age, wearing a skintight red and yellow outfit she recognized as a Massachusetts Academy mutant student training uniform. His brown hair was shot through with a white streak, and his face was lit by a golden glow from his left eye. "Look, I'm trying to practice here?" the boy said in a slightly annoyed tone. He sighed and relaxed, continuing, "Sorry. I'm just in kind of a bad mood. I had a... precognitive flash..." "Foresight? Sounds interesting," Danny said. "I'm Danny Davies. You're...?" "Nate Summers," the boy said, shaking Danny's hand with a smile. "You're Graydon Creed's daughter. Mom and Dad talked about you this summer." "Your folks are Scott and Jean Summers? Tres angst-ville," Danny tried to joke. "Must've been... interesting... growing up in that household." "Dad's not so bad if you live with him," Nate replied, chuckling. "Mom's pretty cool, too." He smiled and said, "You want a tour of the place after I finish my practice run?" "Sure," Danny said. "You need a spotter?" "I don't mind you looking, no," Nate grinned, watching as Danny walked to the control booth. #I'm flirting with Scott Summers' son!?# Danny realized, fighting down a purple blush in her cheeks as she activated a level 3 program. #Oh, Dad... if you only knew...# ------------------------------------------------------- UPLINK AND BREAKDOWN: Real Names: Shade, Thomas Daniel and William Eric AGE: 14 DOB: 6/7/86 Height: 5'3" Weight: 110 lbs Hair: Red-brown Eyes: Blue Powers: (Thomas): Alpha-class cyberkinesis; (William) Alpha-class entropokinesis THUNDERCELL: Real Name: Maximoff, Luna AGE: 12 DOB: 7/4/88 HEIGHT: 4'6" WEIGHT: 89 lbs HAIR: Blonde EYES: Blue POWERS: Alpha-class meteorokinesis (weather manipulation; not a mutant -- gained powers from exposure to Terigen Mists) ------------------------------------------------------- "D-do you think they won't like me?" the slip of a blonde girl asked nervously, sitting on the couch of the rec room as her older cousins played pool. "Lun, relax," Bill Shade grinned over the collar of his leather jacket. "You're not a snotty snob-ette. You're frost, felgen." "Speak English, Bill. I can't understand you and that gangslang sometimes," Tom muttered, shaking red-brown curls out of his eyes as he set up his shot - -- and cursed when the ball hopped, within a greenish light. "Language, Tommy," Bill teased, winking at Luna. "That was mean, Bill," Luna huffed. "Tom's trying to be nice to you. I don't think you deserve it, even if you ARE being nice to me." "Pax, Luna," Tom said, smirking at Bill. "Bill's changed -- a little -- since -" "I don't want to talk about what happened," Bill muttered, crossing his arms as he waited for Tom to take the shot. "Then when will you?" The boys and Luna looked up, gasping, at the figure who entered the room and dropped a bag at the foot of the couch. A Caucasian girl with page-boy cut red-brown hair and green eyes sat beside Luna with a friendly smile, then looked at Bill intently. "Hi," she added. "M-May!?" Bill gasped. "You -- you're not -- I thought you'd -" ------------------------------------------------------- ARACHNISTA Real Name: Parker, May Gwendolyn AGE: 14 DOB: 6/23/86 HEIGHT: 5' WEIGHT: 95 lbs HAIR: Red-brown EYES: Green POWERS: Beta-class (?) enhanced strength, dexterity, endurance; "wall-crawling"; telekinesis; intuition ("Spider-sense"); other powers (?) ------------------------------------------------------- "What, you thought I'd be MAD that you... overreacted that night on the bridge?" May said, smiling almost playfully as she stood. She walked to Bill, who took a deep breath and looked in her eyes. "May... you gotta believe me, I never -" Bill insisted. "I -- my 'gang and I were -- I mean -" "That's why we're here, isn't it? To prevent more accidents from happening, like what happened that night on the bridge?" May said, sorrow slipping into her voice. "Besides, you were innocent. The court ruled it was self-defense." Bill pulled away and stepped out, replying, "Tell that to your boyfriend." "Normie was a psychopath, not my boyfriend!" May called after Bill. She stopped, watching him walk out,l and sighed before turning to look at Tom and Luna. "What can I say to get to him!?" May pleaded. "Tom, Bill saved my life! I just want him to -- to -" "He'll have to work through that on his own, May," Tom said, shrugging. "I've never been able to get through to him." Luna stood and squeezed May's hand. "May, if you want, you could be my roommate," the Inhuman girl offered, smiling. "Thanks, Luna," May said, smiling back. "I could use a sane roomie..." ------------------------------------------------------- NIGHTWALK REAL NAME: Mahn, Leong Coy AGE: 14 DOB: 6/12/86 HEIGHT: 5' WEIGHT: 100 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class disease generation; Alpha-class biokinetic division/animation, self only ("homonculus") TRIAGE REAL NAME: Mahn, Nga Coy AGE: 14 DOB: 6/12/86 HEIGHT: 5' WEIGHT: 100 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class healing ------------------------------------------------------- "Funny, isn't it? You and I, polar opposites..." "You've snapped, Leong," Nga said, frowning at her black-clad brother as he thumbed through a book on teh occult in the school library. "We're Vietnamese, remember? Where did this bizarre fetish for Western Goth culture come from?" Leong looked at her with a wry smile on black-rouged lips and replied, "How ethnocentric, sister dearest. I just have a respect for the grave's power, that's all." "Leong, you are playing with fire! There are dark, dark powers beyond our ken on the Other Side!" Nga pleaded. "I don't want to lose you..." "And I'm not out killing people," Leong pointed out. "Venerate life, Nga. You have that right. I choose to respect and explore death in my way -- please, allow me that much." Nga hung her head, then impulsively hugged Leong before walking out of the library with a chill. #Dearest sister,# Leong thought after Nga, watching her leave with a sigh. #Thank you for caring. But I'm not just doing this on a whim... #This is self-defense against what's coming.# ------------------------------------------------------- J2 REal Name: Yama (Marko), Zane Thomas AGE: 14 DOB: 7/23/86 HEIGHT: 4'10" WEIGHT: 98 lbs HAIR: Brown EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class enhanced strength, durability, endurance WILD THING Real Name: Logan, Rina Artemis AGE: 14 DOB: 6/24/86 HEIGHT: 4'5" WEIGHT: 90 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class telepathy, psychic shield, mental blast ("psychic claws"), healing factor, enhanced senses ------------------------------------------------------- "BREEEEHAI!" #Oh no,# Zane thought, ducking when his impromptu sparring partner flew over his head and rolled to her feet across the quad. "C'mon, cutie! Show me some of that Juggernaut kickass spirit!" Rina Logan laughed, running at Zane again. "You aren't growing into the Juggster!" "My powers are internal, Rina! I don't have to grow to use them -- please, don't -" Zane pleaded. WHAM. He winced when Rina crashed into him, and tried to roll with her. "Well," Rina muttered, coughing up blood as they stood shakily, "that wasn't fun." "Are you OK!?" Zane gasped, letting Rina lean on him. "I'll be fine," Rina said, looking through Zane's glasses into his eyes and smiling. "You know, you're kinda cute. I bet my dad would have a seizure if he heard me say that." Zane blushed and said, "My dad WOULD have a seizure. I don't think he'd like me being here..." "Why not? It's nice that you're trying to be a good guy," Rina said, walking with Zane to the medlab. #She... really likes me!?# Zane thought, amazed. #Man, did I hit my head or not?# Rina thought, shaking her head. #I'm actually finding him... cute...# ------------------------------------------------------- GREENSWARD Real Name: Guthrie, Lewis David AGE: 14 DOB: 6/14/86 HEIGHT: 5'1" WEIGHT: 102 lbs HAIR: Blond EYES: Green POWERS: Alpha-class floropathy (plant telepathy)/florokinesis (plant animation) AMINAL Real Name: Guthrie, Rebecca Lucy AGE: 14 DOB: 6/14/86 HEIGHT: 4'11" WEIGHT: 99 lbs HAIR: Blond EYES: Green POWERS: Alpha-class faunopathy (animal telepathy) ------------------------------------------------------- "GNAH!" "Lewis Guthrie, relax," Becky snorted at her brother as she stroked the buck's brow. "He's a majestic critter." "Ah know. Ah'm jes' gettin' a headache from all these trees," Lew said, sitting on his duffel bag. "Ah thought ah c'ld control mah power better'n this..." "So, ya ain't the grandiose plant-god ya thought ya were. Relax," Becky replied, severing her mindlink with the buck and watching him jump off into the brush. She smiled at Lew and said, "We do belong here, ya know. Sam an' Paige graduated from Xavier's jes' fine." "Ah know. But mah power stinks, an' ah don't want t'come across as a bumpkin," Lew sighed. "Some great hero ah'll make." ------------------------------------------------------- CLASSIQUE REAL NAME: St. Croix, Nicole Marie AGE: 14 DOB: 7/14/86 HEIGHT: 5' WEIGHT: 101 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class enhanced strength, durability, flight, intelligence MINDSEYE REAL Name: St. Croix, Claudette Babette AGE: 14 DOB: 7/14/86 HEIGHT: 5' WEIGHT: 101 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, astral projection, clairsentience, pre/retrocognition ------------------------------------------------------- "'I'm -too sexy -- for humans' -" "You're incorrigible," Claudette grumbled, opening one eye from where she sat cross-legged in the center of her dorm room bed. Nicole dropped her hairbrush and looked at her twin with a combination of pity and outright confusion. "I'm elite, sister dearest," she told Claudette. "We both are, by right of blood." "Oh, don't start THAT again," Claudette pleaded. "'We're St. Croixes' -- Nicky, PUH-LEAZZE. Our father's a wack-job, our brother's a psycho-mutant killer, our older sister is a left-wing underground mutant vigilante, and I'm -" Her eyes went blank, and Nicole shook her head. "I have to admit, I sometimes wonder if we're too refined," she sighed to the now-far-distant Claudette. ------------------------------------------------------- LOCKOUT Real Name: Leech AGE: 14 DOB: Unknown HEIGHT: 5'2" WEIGHT; 104 lbs SKIN: Green EYES: Black irises HAIR: Sparse black POWERS: Omega-class (?) power damping BIG EYES REAL NAME: Maddicks, Arthur Brendan AGE: 14 DOB: 6/9/86 HEIGHT: 5'2" WEIGHT: 106 lbs SKIN: Pink EYES: White on white HAIR: Bald POWERS: Alpha-class telepathy, holopsionic images ------------------------------------------------------- "Leech thinks this'll be a great semester," Leech said as he unpacked. Artie flashed his friend an image of a crowd with torches, then shivered involuntarily. "Artie, c'mon. The Kelly Act protects us from violent humans," Leech said. "Besides, Leech and you aren't violent mutants." Artie reluctantly nodded, but still had a doubtful expression on his face. ------------------------------------------------------- HOTHOUSE REAL NAME: Rasputin, Peter Jr. AGE: 14 DOB: 5/31/86 HEIGHT: 6'6" WEIGHT: 190 lbs HAIR: Black EYES: Brown POWERS: Alpha-class enhanced strength, durability SNOWSLIDE REAL NAME: Rasputin, Illyana Nikolovna AGE: 14 DOB: 6/25/81 (aged to 14 in 1987, then deaged to 6 in 1992) HEIGHT: 5'3" WEIGHT: 103 lbs HAIR: Blonde EYES: Blue POWERS: Alpha-class teleportation w/chronal displacement capacity; undefined mystickal abilities ------------------------------------------------------- "I don't see that humans and mutants are all that different," Peter told his aunt as they walked along the shore of the campus pond. "So we have some special abilities. My dad's a good painter, as well as a mutant -- not every human can paint." "They fear us out of the potential for mass destruction, nephew mine," Illyana replied calmly, playing with a butterfly which had landed in her hair. "I ought to know..." Peter gently put a hand on her shoulder and said, "That was the old Illyana. I'm surprised you can remember." "I don't. And I'm thankful for it," Illyana replied, smiling weakly. "But the Path I follow now can be just as bloody sometimes... nature magicks are nothing to play with." "Nature can be dangerous, or helpful," Peter said, smiling back. "Besides, there aren't any T-rexes running around here. How dangerous can it be?" Illyana looked at him, and they broke into a torrent of laughter. ------------------------------------------------------- SHATTERBOX REAL NAME: Bailey, Joseph Peter and Bailey, Gailyn Jeanne AGE: 14 DOB: 6/1/86 HEIGHT: (Joe): 5'4"; (Gail): 5' WEIGHT: (Joe): 106 lbs (Gail): 97 lbs HAIR: Red EYES: Green POWERS: Beta-class psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, astral projection); Alpha-class when in direct physical contact with each other ------------------------------------------------------- "I HATE this place!" "Gail, quit'cher whining," Joe grumbled, rolling his eyes as Gail stomped about the cafeteria. "I hate my powers, I HATE the X-Men, and I'm getting pretty sick of you! How can you be so -- so -- CALM!?" Gail shrieked. "Our mother DIED because of Xavier's stupid dream! The Phalanx ATE her, Joe! All I wanted was an inhibitor collar and a NORMAL life, but NOOOOO! Aunt Jean and Uncle Scott convinced Gram and Gran that I HAD to learn to control my powers! I don't WANT to be an X-Man -" She blinked at the shattered table in front of her. "Nobody ever said you had to BE an X-Man," Joe said matter of factly. "But the furniture is practically begging for you to get a grip." ------------------------------------------------------- MARROW REAL NAME: Sarah McCoy AGE: 14 DOB: Unverified HEIGHT: 4'7" WEIGHT: 94 lbs HAIR: Pink EYES: Blue POWERS: Alpha-class bone generation, healing factor ------------------------------------------------------- She played with a bone she'd pulled from her neck, watching Peter and Illyana laugh and play along the pond's edge. #They're so free,# Sarah thought, sighing with a sad smile. #I couldn't do that... even with Hank's support and love, I'm just not...# She felt the sun on her face and sighed, shaking her head. #Morlock-born, girl,# Sarah reminded herself. #Morlock 'til you die. Sunlight's dangerous... but my friends don't like the dark -- eh?# The sky crackled with the sounds of a dying transformer, and Sarah stood, watching a blue light rocket towards her from the northern horizon. It landed before her, resolving into a boyish figure with still-glowing blue eyes and brown hair. "YOU!?" Sarah gasped. "But I thought you didn't like being around humans!" "I don't really have much choice," Charles Xavier Lehnsherr said, damping his glow. "Besides, Sarah, you're all still my friends. And I won't abandon you." ------------------------------------------------------- TBC in Step One: Firewalking... -------------------------------------------------------