jakebe | Entries tagged with x-men

(Continuing my little snippets of fiction imagining Beast settling in at the Jean Grey School, because the news from Marvel coming out of Comic-Con sounded really really bad for our merry band of mutants. While the X-Men line has...maybe seven titles out right now, many of them will be taking a hiatus once Civil War II is over. Then we'll get the ominously-titled Death of X, which then spins right into Inhumans vs. X-Men. The promotional material tips the scales pretty heavily against the X-Men, though this could all be a swerve seeded by Marvel to get X-fans riled up. It's working.

The worst part, of course, is that Beast doesn't actually feature in ANY of the promos. He's working with the Inhumans right now to find a cure for the Terrigen Mists, but it looks like that won't lead anywhere. He doesn't show up in any of the Death of X variants, Inhumans vs. X-Men, or any of the X-Men OR Inhuman titles for the rest of the year.

Someone has to write about Dr. McCoy. Might as well be me, right?)

Henry mumbled to himself as he squeezed beneath one of the computer panels of his shiny new basement laboratory. Something about the electronics just wasn't flowing right, and while he had narrowed it down to the tremendous and chaotic bundle of wires beneath the main monitor, that still left literally hundreds of tiny insulated cables that had to be checked by hand. It would have been a chore for anyone, but with thick and brutish paws like his the work went twice as slowly as it should have. Not for the first time, Dr. McCoy regretted relying on Shi'ar tech so heavily. It allowed him to do so much, but it was an absolute nightmare to troubleshoot.

He held a dozen or so of these impossibly thin wires, feeling them roll through the leathery pads of his fingertips. He used his other paw to adjust his glasses, squinting in the dim light to see the colors of each one. He felt the wrench he was holding brush against the fur above his brow, and was certain that there was now a thin sheen of synthetic oil sinking into it. Another mutter under his breath, this one just quiet enough for him to hear. He was going to take a long, hot bath after this, drying time be damned.

It was hard work, of course, building the tools that would go on to build the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning -- but then, he knew it would be. That was part of what drew him to seek out the position in the first place. It had been far too long since he had been able to put his considerable talents to use for a cause he believed in unreservedly, and now he had his chance. He had a hand -- paw -- in rebuilding Xavier's dream from the ground up, in shepherding a new generation of young mutants towards the ideal that one day human and mutantkind could live in peace. That thought was what propelled him through countless long nights, several hours of poring over manuals of alien technology and navigating his own physical difficulties with performing fine detail work. Most of the time, it was enough. Today, though…

The fur on the back of his neck stood up. There was someone in the lab.

He bumped his head and broad back under the console as he tried to slip out, rubbing the back of his head with a grumble. He tilted his nose up, sniffing the air -- nothing but metal, coolant, the lubricant he was rubbing into his fur again…

He tossed the wrench down with a frustrated "Bah!" and looked around the lab, his goggles glinting as they caught the much brighter fluorescents beaming from the high ceiling. There was no movement, just the chaos of his dream lab being put together. Still, something didn't feel right…

He felt a breeze ruffle the whiskers on his right side, and his ear flicked as he heard the barest whisper of fabric rubbing against fabric. Someone was behind him. He turned his head slightly in that direction and caught the scent he was looking for.

He leaped before the arm had even lifted, flipping a twisted somersault in the air to land on his feet (and one hand) while facing the spot he had been just a few seconds ago. Henry snarled instinctively, ears flattened, mane lifted; it embarrassed him to show his teeth that way, so he followed up quickly with witty banter.

"I don't know who you are…" He looked up then, and saw Katherine Pryde phasing into sight, eyes wide and clearly startled.

"Well," he said, "Kitty Pryde, as I live and breathe…" Henry straightened, grateful for his fur for once. As uncomfortable as it was, it did a wonderful job of hiding it when he blushed. He threw out his arms and rushed into a hug before she had a chance to recover.

Beast felt her stiffen for a split-second before she relaxed, letting her arms drop around his neck. His heart skipped a beat when she laughed; he spun her around and gave her the briefest squeeze before setting her down. For a moment, it was just like old times. All was right with the world.

"Hey, Hank!" She bounced on her feet as she landed, pushing a lock of her hair behind an ear. "Logan told me you were down here, so I thought I'd surprise you...probably wasn't the best idea."

Henry smiled, but not too wide. He knew how off-putting his fangs could be. "Ahhh, my dearest Kitty, a thousand apologies! It's...been an eventful few months. I'm afraid my fight reflexes have gotten a bit too good."

"You don't have to explain that to me!" She smiled back. "When you live the life we do, you learn to hate surprises." She turned around, looking at the enormous space that was only now just taking shape. "Look at all this, though! I'm impressed! You've really outdone yourself."

Beast took her hand in his when she turned around, unable to keep himself from smiling wider. "Ahh, you're too kind! It's easy to do something impressive when you have access to alien technology and unlimited resources. Would you like for me to give you a tour?"

"I'd like nothing better." Kitty squeezed one of his fingers and stepped to the side, letting him lead her. "I thought I recognized Shi'ar tech in this place. It has this really distinct feeling when you phase through it."

Hank's eyebrows lifted. "So that's why I haven't been able to get the main monitor working. I knew the design would be quite touchy, but I figured it wouldn't be so bad once I had safely ensconced them behind the safety paneling."

"Oh, no! I didn't think you had turned anything on. I'm so sorry Henry...here, I'm not doing anything this afternoon, why don't we order in a pizza and I'll help you fix it?"

Henry paused as he walked along with Shadowcat, clapping his other massive paw over her hand. He looked into her eyes, his whiskers practically bristling with contentment. He had his doubts about the Jean Grey School -- it was quite a risk, after all -- but this was the first moment he was certain he had made the right decision.

"Nothing would make me happier. Let me show you the Warbird Fusion Reactor, and then I'll tell you about this marvelous place I've found. They'll even take custom toppings! I had an extra-large steak tartare pizza that was just delightful."

Kitty laughed, "Oh Hank, that sounds awful!"

"My dear, don't knock it until you've tried it." Beast smiled, then lead Pryde through a narrow passage and behind a panel that hadn't been affixed to the wall yet. This place would be really something, once it all came together.

I've had superheroes on the brain for a while now, and there are a number of reasons for this. However, Beast of the X-Men is someone I just can't get out of my head -- also for a number of reasons. Ever since All-New Marvel Now!, when Brian Michael Bendis took over as the guiding hand of the X-Books, Hank has been in worse shape than usual. He pretty much broke the multiverse going back in time to get the original X-Men; he underwent another mutation that turned him into a cross between an ape and an elf; his future self was brainwashed by the son(?) of Charles Xavier into becoming one of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and subsequently died; he succumbed to the power of the Black Vortex, becoming an all-powerful nemesis; and finally he threw a hissy fit when the other X-Men confronted him about his hypocritical, out-of-character actions, leaving the Jean Grey School before Secret Wars hit.

I firmly believe that in better hands Hank can be a really fascinating and fun superhero. But to be honest, he hasn't been written well in a long time and the current X-Universe being what it is, it's unlikely he'll be better served any time soon.

I keep thinking that it would be neat to allow the status quo of the X-Men to settle for one god-damned minute in order for characters to evolve and grow in ways other superheroes get to do in the Marvel universe. The period after the Schism -- where Cyclops and Wolverine split mutantkind in two with their differing ideologies -- is a great one to go back to for that. Here, we see the older generation stepping into roles of mentorship and command. New mutants dealing with their own evolution in the unending battle for acceptance are coming up, learning the lessons of the previous set and adapting them to their own time. It's a rich setting, and one that suits Beast perfectly.

So here's a conversation between Wolverine and Beast, who is signing up for a position at the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning.

Hank McCoy slipped between the trees with a feline grace that somehow enhanced the bulk that looked to be at odds with it. His boots -- modified to fit his new digitigrade stance -- whispered along the undergrowth of the forest, leaving only the lightest of tracks on a path he scented more than he saw.

It figured that Logan would want to meet him out here. A quick scan of the area told him there was a cabin somewhere in this wilderness, though most people would have a devil of a time finding it. He had to leave his car behind a couple miles ago, slinging a backpack over one broad and furry shoulder to walk the rest of the way.

It wasn't a bad day for it. The sun shone through a thick canopy of leaves, small pockets of light reaching the ground ahead of him. A gentle breeze carried the scents of the forest to him; trees struggling to procreate in the springtime, birds and animals that remained out of sight but which were present just the same, the slight but noticeable trace of Wolverine leading him forward. It was even cool enough that he didn't feel overheated as he moved. Since his latest mutation, his fur had gotten thicker, enough to shift the range of temperatures he was comfortable with. It had been a long adjustment, and he was only now becoming comfortable in his own body again.

Which is why he had no hesitation dropping to all fours (though he looked around, as if to check for anyone watching him) to speed up his pace; it was nice to take a stroll in nature, but he wanted to be prompt for his meeting. Logan might not care about punctuality, but he certainly did.

Hank had only recently taken to exploring the new, bestial attitudes that flitted across his ever-thinking brain. Since becoming a bouncing blue cast member of the musical Cats, he had difficulty accepting his new-found fondness for raw meat, or the powerful instinct to chase or pounce others. It disturbed him, not just because they were present, but because sometimes they were so strong. The Cassandra Nova business hit him where he lived there, and it was a long way back to being unafraid of himself. He had hoped getting back to what he did best -- being the chief scientist for the X-Men -- would complete the healing of that trauma and allow him a chance to feel like himself again at long last.

But first, he would have to convince Logan to take him on.

He loped between the trees quickly now, his paw-like hands churning up leaves and dirt as he galloped along. Wolverine's scent became stronger now, along with the smell of coffee, alcohol, cigars and burning wood. He paused for a moment, then pivoted towards the northeast. Another few minutes, and dense wood gave way to a small clearing with a modest cabin squatting right in the center of it. He scanned the area with sharp and slitted eyes. The birds were at ease here, and he spotted a squirrel or two darting between the safety of two tree trunks. A lazy plume of smoke rose from the cabin's stone chimney, and another one rose from the porch. Logan was there, wearing simple jeans, a flannel shirt and boots. He was chewing his cigar like it was his breakfast. The mutant stared right at him as he stood and stepped out of the trees.

"Hank," he said, as if he had been waiting this whole time.

"Logan," Beast said, clapping the dust off of his hands as he cleared the small distance between himself and the new headmaster of the Jean Grey School. "It's so nice of you to invite me to your summer home."

Wolverine shook Beast's hand without smiling. Hank wasn't offended; it was a weak joke. "I just figured you'd want to meet somewhere private. Those SWORD guys still after you?"

Beast waved him off. "Heavens, no. That was sorted a little while ago, thank the stars. Dr. Henry McCoy has a spotless record once more."

Wolverine simply grunted, turning to sit on one of the chairs next to the cabin's door. "Have a seat. Can I get you something? A beer?"

Hank glanced at the chair; it was solid wood, but a bit too narrow for his hips. He chose to lean against one of the porch posts instead. "No, thank you. It's a bit early for me to indulge. I did bring you something, though."

He slung his backpack off his shoulder and opened the zipper with a claw. "I know it's customary to bring a token of esteem in these situations; most would have gone with a fruit basket of some sort, but I figured you'd appreciate this more."

Wolverine eyed the bottle of whiskey, staring at the label once it was handed to him. "Single malt, huh? Not bad." He wasted no time twisting the top off and taking a long swig.

Beast glanced at him, then looked out over the clearing. "Yes, a small batch distillery from Cork that I thought you'd like. I thought the apple notes were quite a nice distinction."

His ear flicked as he heard the bottle upend once more, a full tumbler of the stuff disappearing down Wolverine's throat in the span of a few seconds.

"Mmm, it's all right." Logan sat the bottle down on the porch, then exhaled. "Now that you've broken the ice, want to get this over with?"

Hank grinned. "Certainly. Though I have to admit I was surprised you wanted to interview me for the position. We've worked well together before, and we seem to be of the same mind on what we want for these children."

"We are. But I need to know where your head's at. You left the X-Men, Hank. You went out to space with your girlfriend and only reached out to me when you found out I was rebuilding the school."

Hank furrowed a brow. Was Logan upset about his defection? Or something else? It was hard to get a read on him; his scent was mostly covered by burning tobacco and the stinging alcohol he had drained a half-bottle of in under a minute. "If you're worried about my commitment, then you certainly don't need to be. I believe I've proven myself to be quite dedicated to causes I believe in."

"True. But you've also had a hell of a time of it in the past six months. This school is going to be a target for a lot of people...maybe some of our own'll be gunning for us or our kids. You sure you're ready for that?" Wolverine kept his voice even, calm, but there was something about that question…

"I've been fighting to protect the innocent for over a decade now, Logan. It's my life's work." He turned towards the mutant, arms folded. "And you've provided me with the opportunity to continue it."

"So why didn't you open the school yourself? Why wait for someone else?"

Beast blinked. "I...didn't think I could do it on my own."

"Who said you would have been?" Wolverine stretched out, leaning back in his chair.

"Call it an educated guess. I am many things, Logan, but a leader of man and mutant I am not. I've never been comfortable convincing others that my choices are the ones that need to be followed. I don't have the knack for it that you or Scott or Ororo do…"

"You think I want to be a leader, Hank?" This time, Wolverine smiled. "I'm stepping up to this because somebody's got to. You'd think that one of Charles' students would want to be the ones to take on his legacy…"

"But Scott is becoming increasingly militant, and Jean is no longer with us. Warren....good heavens, who knows what's happened to Warren. And Bobby is...well, Bobby has his own issues." Beast shook his head. "As much as it pains me to say it, none of us are capable of doing that at the moment. But you are. Let me help you."

Wolverine stared at him for a long time. "Of course you're going to help me." He stood and stepped forward, offering Hank a hand. "Welcome to the Jean Grey School, Dr. McCoy. She's going to need you."

Beast beamed, showing the full measure of his fangs before he could help himself. "Thank you. Now, shall we talk about compensation?"

Wolverine grunted; it's what passed for a laugh most of the time. "Free room and board, provided you design the school and lead the building of it."

Beast blinked. "You mean the mansion isn't rebuilt? How...far have you gotten in this process?"

Wolverine slumped back into his chair and picked up the bottle of whiskey. "So far, I've hired on a Vice-Principal to help rebuild Charles' dream from the ground up. Not a bad start."

Beast took a deep breath and grabbed the whiskey when it was handed to him. He took a swig himself, straight from the bottle. "Not a bad start at all, my friend."

I fell in with comic books through Marvel, and I'll never forget it. I was vaguely aware of comics growing up -- how could you not know about Superman, Batman, or Spider-Man -- but the first time I heard about a story that made me think "I have to read this" was the Age of Apocalypse saga, where Charles Xavier's insane son goes back in time to kill Magneto but mistakenly kills Professor X instead. For four glorious months, the entire line of X-Men books were replaced by a post-apocalyptic hell where Apocalypse has taken over the world and a desperate band of humans and defecting mutants are trying to stop him. I had never heard of a storyline as ambitious as that, and I don't think there's been a crossover Marvel has pulled off that well before or since.

Ever since then, I've jumped in and out of the comic stream. I left for a while, came back for Grant Morrisson's New X-Men run, then left for a while and came back for Bendis' All-New X-Men run, and now I'm lapsed again. I wish I hadn't -- Hickman's Avengers work is currently wrapping up on the Secret Wars crossover, which has basically destroyed Marvel's entire multiverse and replaced it with a patchwork world where Dr. Doom is God. This is the end-game of Hickman's work across Fantastic Four, FF, Avengers, New Avengers and Avengers World; he's been leading to this for years. It's that kind of long-form storytelling I really appreciate and applaud, and I wish I had been reading the story in real-time.

This month, Marvel is releasing the comics that come after Secret Wars; we catch up with the multiverse eight months after the end of Doom's Battleworld and the restoration of the multiverse. However, this is a chance for the company to pull a line-wide reset on every single title, so there'll be an enormous wave of brand-new comics hitting the shelves over the next few months. So which comics are worth getting in your local shops every Wednesday? Which are fine getting digital? And which ones do you probably want to wait for the trade paperbacks on?

Marvel is doing a lot of really different stuff with this launch, featuring a great array of diverse books featuring African-American, Native American, Asian-American and women superheroes front and center. Captain America is still black; Thor is still a woman; the Avengers will feature those two as well as Ms. Marvel (a Pakistani Muslim), Ultimate Spider-Man (half-black, half-Latino Miles Morales) and Kid Nova, Sam Alexander. Of the seven folks on the main roster, only the original Iron Man Tony Stark still has his spot.

Diversity is given a serious run here, and I think it's important to show Marvel we dig what they're doing. It's not enough that we show up on message boards and at Comic-Cons asking for it; when they're giving us what we want, we should show up at the comic book shops too. Personally, I'll buy the paper version of any title I think needs the support most; the titles that will probably be fine but I still want to read will get bought digitally; and the stuff that I'm curious about but not sold on will have to wait for the trade paperback. I only have so much money, after all, and a geek's got to eat.

So here's my pull list for All-New, All-Different Marvel. What's yours? Let me know in the comments!

PAPER COPY, EVERY WEDNESDAY
Black Panther
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates; Art by Brian Stelfreeze

I've only recently been turned on to Ta-Nehisi Coates this year, and already he's become one of my favorite voices in all of black geekdom. So when I heard he was getting the keys to Black Panther, there was simply no way I could miss that. The first twelve-issue story arc will feature a revolution in Wakanda, and T'Challa trying to figure out how to deal with it. I cannot wait for this. This is going to be amazing.

Howling Commandos of SHIELD
Written by Frank Barbiere; Art by Bren Schoonover

A motley crew of monsters -- including a robot version of Dum Dum Duggan, Warwolf (a gun-toting werewolf), Man-Thing (a gigantic swamp creature) and Hit-Monkey (a...deranged monkey?) -- take out supernatural threats while struggling with their own monstrous natures. This book is too insane not to take up; I really dig the theme of trying to do good while being fundamentally apart from a society that will never accept you. This is one of the more bizarre concepts Marvel is throwing at the wall, and while I don't expect it to last very long I really want to support it while it's there.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Written by Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclaire; Art by Natacha Bustos

First of all, Devil Dinosaur in his own ongoing! Moon Girl is a pre-teen black girl named Lunella Lafayette who is also a dormant Inhuman; however, she doesn't want superpowers. She wants to continue being the prodigy she is, so she's looking for ways to prevent transformation. That desire to stay who you are, to hide the weirdness inside you, is a really compelling hook for me. Also, this is one of the few ongoing comics to be (co)written and drawn by women!

Totally Awesome Hulk
Written by Greg Pak; Art by Frank Cho

Amadeus Cho is the new Hulk! Gone is the brooding Bruce Banner; Cho wants to embrace being enormous and green. This comic hands the mantle of the Hulk to a Korean-American prodigy, featuring Greg Pak returning to the title he's best known for, with Frank Cho pulling art duties; two Korean-Americans creating a superhero comic with a Korean-American protagonist! You can't do better than that.

Red Wolf
Written by Nathan Edmonson; Art by Dalibor Talajic

This is the biggest question mark; this version of Red Wolf hails from one of the patchwork realities that made up Battleworld in Secret Wars, so Marvel won't get into any issues with portraying a real Native American tribe, but...is that better? While they will have a Native American artist doing covers, it remains to be seen just how the character will be treated and what the book will look like. Still, just making the attempt is something, and I'm planning to see how it shakes out.

DIGITAL
Uncanny Inhumans
Written by Charles Soule; Art by Steve McNiven

The Inhumans are being set up as a mainstay of the Marvel Universe moving forward (whether we like it or not), and this will probably be the flagship title for them. I've heard nothing but great things about Charles Soule, and I'm curious about this little corner of the comic universe; with Agents of SHIELD setting up the Inhumans incredibly well in the cinematic universe, I'd like to read more about them. Mutant and original X-Man Beast is defecting to their crew, and where he goes I follow.

All-New X-Men
Written by Dennis Hopeless; Art by Mark Bagley

It is not a good time to be a mutant after Secret Wars. The Terrigen Mists, which have been released into the biosphere, have rendered them sick and sterile. The surviving mutants are warring with the Inhumans as they fight to keep their species alive. And the time-displaced original X-Men -- Beast, Cyclops, Iceman and Angel -- are still in this reality. Determined to lead by example, they've set out to be the superheroes they know they should be. I'm really curious about this take on the X-Men; it feels like a bit of a throwback but at the same time tackles the "nature vs. nurture" question in really interesting ways.

Spider-Man
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Sarah Pichelli

Miles Morales is probably one of the only people who've made it out of the Ultimate Universe, and that's probably because he moves so many books; still, he's a really compelling character and I cannot wait to see how he fits in with the main universe. Bendis made his bones on this title 20 years ago to usher in the Ultimate Universe, so he has an amazing handle on this character and where to take Morales next.

Ms. Marvel
Written by G. Willow Wilson; Art by Takeshi Miyazawa and Adrian Alphona

Kamala Khan has, in many ways, lead the charge of this all-new, all-different Marvel. Her introduction to the main universe was a surprise hit for the company, and she's being placed in a position of prominence during this reconfiguration initiative. Not only is she one of the Avengers now, she's also getting a brand-new volume of her massively successful solo comic; I cannot wait to see what G. Willow Wilson (one of the only Muslim writers working in comics that I know of) has in store for her after Secret Wars.

Guardians of the Galaxy
Written by Brian Michael Bendis; Art by Valerio Schitti

ROCKET RACCOON IS IN CHARGE! After Secret Wars, Star-Lord has left the Guardians to become the leader of the Spartax Empire, which means Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Venom have to find a way to make do on their own. They're joined by an alternate-universe Kitty Pride as the new Star-Lord and the Thing finally fulfilling his potential as an astronaut. Bendis has actually been killing it on this title ever since he took it over, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the team comes together after all of these changes.

TRADE PAPERBACK
All-New, All-Different Avengers
Written by Mark Waid; Art by Mahmud Asrar and Andy Kubert

You have to hand it to Marvel; they aren't kidding around with remaking their universe. This is a directive to shake things up from the top down: the Avengers are almost completely changed -- Iron Man is the one guy who's a member of the Big Three, joined by the new Captain America (Sam Wilson), the new Thor (Jane Foster), Vision, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Nova (Sam Alexander). I'd be worried about the roster if it weren't for Mark Waid, who excels at taking titles in great new directions that inject a sense of serious fun into them. This is the perfect team for his style.

Extraordinary X-Men
Written by Jeff Lemire; Art by Humberto Ramos

I've been a fan of Lemire ever since he broke onto the scene with the excellent, strange post-apocalyptic tale Sweet Tooth; the success of that book has propelled him onto DC's main titles with a run on Green Arrow before Marvel's snapped him up to shepherd the new flagship X-title. Storm is leading the mutant nation through another extinction crisis with Colossus, Magik, Nightcrawler, Forge, the present-day Iceman, the time-displaced Jean Grey and Old Man Logan. Marvel's X-Men are always at their best when they're put in the hands of great writers with distinct voices, so this is a great move.

Weirdworld
Written by Sam Humphries; Art by Mike del Mundo

I really should pick up the Secret Wars miniseries before picking up this title, but I find it so intriguing. Weirdworld is basically Marvel's sword-and-sorcery universe, and they're pulling it out of mothballs to give it a go. It's so rare for one of the Big Two to go in this direction that I have to see what they do with it; I don't think it's going to last very long, but I want to throw my money at other projects I think are more important to support.

So that's it: 13 titles that I plan on supporting once All-New, All-Different Marvel gets going, and there are plenty more that I would like to take a look at -- the new Howard the Duck, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, The Ultimates (featuring Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Spectrum, Ms. America and Blue Marvel), Power Man and Iron Fist, just to name a few. Simply put, it's a VERY good time to be a Marvel fan.

I was a little late with getting to the end of Veniamin's story, so I thought I would offer two vignettes this week instead! This one is a bit longer than I expected it would be; once I got into it I really wanted to give it the time it needed. That's why it's up today instead of yesterday!

Anyway, this is the first of four Beast vignettes this month. I wanted to test out how a story featuring the X-Men would sound, and whether I could get a good handle on Hank McCoy, how he thinks and speaks, what the world is like for him. Consider this a bit of practice for Beast: Wild Genius. I'm hoping that the more I write this, the more I can refine the voices and make them sound "truer". This one is 2093 words.

It was 1 AM at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, and it was mostly quiet. The nocturnal students were catching up on their courses in the hologram room, and the bamfs could be heard apparating in the hallways and snickering in their mischief, but almost everyone was asleep. It was one of the only times Dr. Henry McCoy, Principal and Head Scientist, felt completely at ease roaming the grounds.

He stalked the empty hallways, his sensitive nose wrinkling at the faint trace of brimstone the bamfs always left behind. He tapped a console near the front door to check on Krakoa and any possible threats from outside; there were none. He glanced around to make absolutely sure there was no one stirring, and then went into the staff kitchen.

Beast tapped another console, which slid open to reveal a hidden compartment inside the wall. He grabbed the precious cargo inside, fetched himself a cup of tea and spread it out in front of his chair. A treat for oneself should be a feast for the eyes as well as for the taste buds, after all. He took a moment to drink in the sight of the chamomile tea and two Twinkies, then let the combined smell of over-processed herbal drink and hyper-preserved sugar, fat and bread fill his nostrils. It was all too rare to enjoy a moment like this.

The first Twinkie disappeared as quickly as he inhaled. The chamomile he sipped more slowly; the steaming hot liquid scalded his tongue pleasantly, mingled briefly with the delightful chemical taste of the confection before washing it away. Hank sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair, ignoring the warning creak that came from the stressed wood. After all that had happened -- with all that's going on around him -- it was moments like this that he came to treasure. Moments where the world stopped and he could just be a man enjoying a cup of tea and a creme cake.

The respite was short-lived, however. His nose picked up the scent of someone in the hallway, and his ears heard the slinking footsteps of the Jean Grey School's headmaster.

It was always easy for him to tell when Wolverine was nearby. His smell came first -- wild, hot-blooded, with undertones of the adamantium that served as his skeleton. He had a distinctive gait as well; it reminded Hank of a predator stalking through its territory, hackles raised for a threat that could appear at any moment. Beast felt a certain kinship with him. Logan was one of the few people who saw the world the same way that he did, who struggled with the tension between the animal in his blood and the better angels in his head.

"Logan," Beast rumbled as soon as he heard Wolverine outside the entrance to the staff's kitchen.

"Hank." Wolverine walked through the door and headed straight for the refrigerator. He wasn't surprised by Hank's presence, but why would he be? He had similar heightened senses. "I'm surprised to see you outside of your lab."

Beast grinned easily, leaning further back in his chair. "Everyone has to come up for air some time. All work and no play makes one...a bit stir-crazy."

Wolverine simply grunted as he grabbed a beer. "Want one?"

"No, but thank you. I thought I'd enjoy a cup of tea before I retired. Twinkie?"

Wolverine wrinkled his nose as he took a seat at the table. "I honestly don't know how you can eat that stuff, Hank. Can't you smell it?"

"Of course, my dear Logan. That's part of the appeal!" He looks down at the tiny yellow cake, about the size of a finger. "It takes me back to my childhood. Before all this. I'd get home from football practice, down a box of these, jump right into homework." He sighed a great breath, staring beyond the kitchen door, back to his boyhood room in Dunfee, Illinois. "I still had problems, but I was content. Life was so...uncomplicated."

He blinked himself back to the present. "I'm sure you have something that takes you back to happier times, Logan. Some food that reminds you of home?"

A shadow passed over Wolverine's features, and Beast almost instantly regretted the remark. "I have a lot of things that remind me of where I've come from. Mostly I try to focus on what's in front of me."

"Of course," he said. "My apologies."

Wolverine shrugged and took a long sip from his beer. Beast drank his tea. They let the discomfort of the moment sink in, then fade. The clock ticked on the wall.

"So how's the school coming? Is there anything I should know about?" Logan kept staring at the table, in that way he did.

Beast shook his head. "Full speed ahead, o captain my captain. The facility practically runs itself, for better or for worse -- once that business with Krakoa was sorted out, there haven't been any significant issues. Of course, it would be nice to make sure the bamfs don't get into the power source downstairs--"

"I'm sure you're on top of it, Hank." Wolverine cut him off with a hand on the shoulder. "Just...remember to be here for the kids."

Hank stared at him. What was going through his head? "Of course, Logan. I wouldn't forget why we're running this school."

Wolverine simply nodded, then finished the last of his beer. "Didn't think you would, bub. I just...I need people who are going to do right by these kids. It's a messed up world out there. They should be protected from that until they're ready to deal with it."

Beast nodded. Of course Logan was right. It was why he came back to the site of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in the first place. His dream hadn't changed, but the world did -- and just when it looked like there wasn't a place to continue Xavier's work, Wolverine jumped in to fill the void. The least likely candidate to do it, but he did.

"I know. It's just…" His broad shoulders slumped. There was a reason he stalked the halls at night, stuck to his lab wherever he could, threw himself at his projects. He'd been trying to avoid it all this time, but he couldn't. It was staring him in the face now, and he couldn't look away. "Why am I here?"

Wolverine looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What?"

"I mean, why me Logan? You have Ororo, you have Kitty...you have Bobby. A lot of other people could step up if you asked them to. Why am I here, as vice-principal? What am I doing here?"

"Your best, Hank. What are any of us doing here?"

Beast shook his head. "It's not that. I...this used to be so different. Back in the old days. When it was just me and Jean and Scott, Warren and Bobby. Everything seemed so simple back then, and it feels like it all happened to another person. I've changed, Logan. Everyone has changed."

"Cyclops is some revolutionary. He killed Xavier right in front of me. Jean is dead. Warren is...who knows what's happened to Angel. The only person who seems blessedly unaffected by any of this is Bobby. And even then, I'm not so sure. Do I really know him? Have I ever known him?

"I thought Scott was my brother in arms. He was the consummate leader. Never left a man behind. But he left me. In a black cell with no one but my arch-nemesis to experiment on me. I never would have imagined he was capable of what he's become, but…" Hank spread his oversized hands and sighed again. "...here we are."

He looked at Wolverine, who was studying him with the expression of a man who had no idea what to make of what was in front of him. "We've never had the closest relationship, you and I. Ororo, I understand. You came up with her, and she has your backbone. Kitty, I get. You've helped guide her to where she is today. But why bring me along? You don't owe me anything."

Wolverine shifted in his seat, looking away from Hank. "Listen...bub...I'm not sure I'm drunk enough for this conversation. But here goes."

"I know what it feels like to be betrayed, especially by somebody close to you. It shakes you up. Makes you suspicious of everybody you know for a good long while. But after a bit you move past it. You learn to trust someone again. Then a few people. And that scar just becomes a part of you. If you're lucky, it makes you smarter. If you're not, it poisons you. You're smart enough to know which way this stuff with Cyke is headed.

"But I pulled you here because I want you here. Storm's got the backbone to lead this school, and I know she'll protect them from anything that tries to hurt them. Kitty's great with kids, and I know she'll teach 'em well. But you...Hank, out of the first class that's left, you're the one guy I know who's still carrying the dream inside you.

"Look at this place. It wouldn't exist without you. We could've maybe gotten someone else to build it, sure, but it wouldn't have been nearly as good. This is your life's work, Henry. I know no matter how many times Xavier's dream nearly goes extinct, you're gonna be the one to kick-start it again. Everybody's got a fire under them trying to make this work. And you lit it. You were the only one who could.

"Now. I need you to be the new Xavier. Me and him didn't always see eye to eye, but we understood each other. He gave me a shot when nobody else would. And there's a whole new set of kids out there who need somebody to show them what they can be. That's you. Got it?"

Henry sat, stunned. He swallowed once, hard, and nodded. "Got it."

"Good." Wolverine stood abruptly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna see if I can get a decent couple of hours before Krakoa wakes us all up. Night, Beast."

"Good night, Logan." Beast watched Wolverine walk out of the kitchen, his shoulders slumped as if what he said had taken something out of him. He sighed and settled into his chair, staring at his empty tea cup.

It had been so very long since someone had believed in him. Wasn't that at the core of this? He had done so much, but he had made so many mistakes...and all of his closest friends were dead, or had left him. So many nights, he only had the thrill of discovery to keep him going.

He looked around at the kitchen. This room, like almost every other within the Jean Grey School, was his design. Bright, airy, homey -- a refuge from the chaos of a school filled with mutant children, from the humanity outside that hated and feared them, from their own kind who wanted them to fail. He only just noticed how much it looked like a high-tech version of his mother's kitchen. There was the same cool beige tile on the wall, the same polished wood under his feet. It took him all this time to see just what he had been trying to do -- build a home.

Beast gathered his plates and put them in the automated bin that would take them to a dishwasher that ran inside the walls, then place them back into the cabinets through hidden panels all on its own. Shi'ar technology, he mused, was a wonderful thing.

But things in this place wouldn't make it a home; the people who lived in it would. He thought about the people here -- Storm, Kitty, Logan, Bobby -- and how much he had in common with them. They had all been through so much. They had all suffered. All of them, wounded but still standing.

Hank turned out the light and walked out of the kitchen, down the hall, towards the elevator that would take him down to his lab and quarters. Tomorrow, he would see how Warren was doing. He'd have a snowball fight with Bobby. Heck, he might even flirt with Ororo. He could never have his old family back at this point. But he could make a new one.

And with that, maybe the Jean Grey School would start to feel more like home.

Current Mood: content
Current Music: 2FM Internet Radio

Barnell Bohusk saves the day in the conclusion of the "Timebrokers" storyline in this/last month's Exiles. Take that,

theottsel! Talk smack about Beak again, and he'll sick not only one, but *two* Hyperions on you...not to mention an angry giant rabbit. That's a world of hurt you don't want son. :) Actually, I'm looking forward to the next story arc, and I hope they keep Barnell on for a long time. A skinny but endearing chicken-boy is exactly the kind of PR Man the Exiles needs. :)

Was I the only one going "Huh?" at the end of the most recent Uncanny X-Men issues? Once again, Claremont shows that he only has one setting, and that's hyper-kinetic. Jean Gray/Phoenix coming back with Jean dying once and for all? Wolverine suddenly going batshit and killing Northstar? There must be a whole lot of stuff going on in those limited series and one-shots that I don't read. Also, Mojo and the X-Babies idea totally sucked. Conflict was brought about in a pretty superficial, lame way...it was like Claremont was channeling Chuck Austen directly for the fight between Rachel and Kitty Pryde. I mean, really, what was that about? Even still, Beast showed what most of us already know...when he turns on the charm, I'll take him over Gambit any day. :9

Astonishing X-Men continues to bear the standard for the entire line. Whedon's doing an excellent job with...well, everything. All the secrets he's hinting at are driving me insane. What's going on with Emma? Is Danger actually Xavier's...son? Or is there a daughter I don't know about? I'm looking forward to the last two issues of "Dangerous," though I have a sinking feeling the X-Men aren't going to be terribly happy about the Professor's return.

I'm really enjoying Milligan's run on X-Men so far. He has a much better grasp on character interaction than Austen did, and he brings up the issues they face in a very, very tight way. I like the fact that Wolverine's no longer the only X-man pulling double and triple duty. There certainly needs to be more crossover among the titles; sure, they're three seperate teams (with Havok's, honestly, looking like the Bush League X-Men), but they operate in the same space. Surely there's got to be people running in on each other all the time. ;)

The House of M story is kicking into high gear, and I'm ambivalent about it. The trouble with the big blockbuster storylines is the fact that they *are* so far-reaching. It's often an all-or-nothing deal. While I was more than happy to read ten different titles every month to get the full picture of the Age of Apocalypse ten years ago, it's a bit more difficult now. Not only do we have to read Astonishing, Uncanny and Adjectiveless X-Men, there's also Excalibur, New X-Men, The New Avengers, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and The House of M limited series to keep a track of. I'm sure there are other titles that I'm missing at the moment, too. I can't read every title, and chances are I'm going to get a bit lost with happenings because of it. ah well. Just grit my teeth through the summer, and wait for the "all clear" come October or whenever they'll be done with everything.

Sorry about that. Had to geek out for a bit. :)

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(Friday Fiction) X-Men: A Tale of Two Kitties
(Friday Fiction) The Job Interview of Dr. Henry McCoy
A Black Geek's Guide to All-New, All-Different Marvel
Thursday Fiction: Midnight Thoughts of Troubled Minds
Comics Round-Up

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The Writing Desk of Jakebe Rabbit

A collection of words and fluff

Entries tagged with x-men

(Friday Fiction) X-Men: A Tale of Two Kitties

(Friday Fiction) The Job Interview of Dr. Henry McCoy

A Black Geek's Guide to All-New, All-Different Marvel

Thursday Fiction: Midnight Thoughts of Troubled Minds

Comics Round-Up