Kitty Pryde-Barton (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
throughaphase) wrote2014-09-25 06:57 am
throughaphase) wrote2014-09-25 06:57 am
The Xavier School- Thursday morning
Kitty's job started early this morning, and had ended late last night. She'd been up and around talking to students, breaking up fights, and trying to keep the peace at least until everyone had gone to bed. Then she'd gotten up early this morning because there were still going to be more kids to talk to. If it wasn't for the fact that Parents Weekend was happening this weekend, Kitty likely would have stayed at least a couple more days. Instead, she was trying to make sure everyone knew how to contact her when she was in Fandom and trying not to feel like a failure of a guidance counselor for not being around.
First up today was a teenage boy named Wing, who she'd met with outside while he told her about when he first learned about his power and how amazing flying felt. "I can't lose that," he'd said.
"That's not gonna happen. Just 'cause someone goes on TV and says they have a cure for mutation doesn't mean that it's even true. And if it is, nobody's gonna force it on you," she'd said. She'd also said things like, "Mutants are a community," and "We're stronger than this."
He'd said, "Are you a fucking retard?"
Kitty'd cut that session short after that, and was still fuming as she walked into the kitchen area, where Logan was watching the news reports about Benetech and eating cold pizza for breakfast, and Emma was getting started on her coffee. Oh, good, Kitty wanted an audience to complain to. "How much detention are we allowed to give? What's the maximum amount of detention the human body can withstand?"
"Counseling going well, then?" Emma asked lightly.
"Great."
"Let me guess. 'The mutants are a community' line didn't quite fly?"
"You looked at the news, punkin?" Logan asked.
"The mutants aren't a community, punkin," Emma said pointedly. "They're pathetic sheep, begging to be shorn. Three students were missing from my Ethics class. Seventeen overall. Logan had to break up two fistfights and a mystical swordfight. And that dreadful Guatemalan crab-boy is at Benetech telling reporters this is every mutant's only chance to avoid burning in everlasting hellfire. This is eating us from the inside out."
Kitty frowned at her. "Oh my god. You teach ethics?"
"Yes, do let's make jokes right now," Emma said, sipping her coffee.
"I'm not joking. I have a very large problem with that concept."
"Our students are fleeing the school, you half-wit."
"Well maybe it's time for another peppy 'they will always hate us' speech. I'm sure that helped."
From his chair, she heard Logan mutter, "I thought I was the one with the claws…"
"Just tell me there's coffee," Hank grumbled, rubbing his face as he came in, wearing his lab coat over his pajamas.
"Have you been up all night?" Emma asked.
"Lab. Checking out a sample of Dr. Rao's mutant cure serum."
Kitty poured some coffee into his waiting mug, but asked, "How did you-"
"She gave it to me."
Kitty and Emma both looked at him.
Hank sipped the coffee. "Peruvian blonde, first beans of the season. Emma, your taste never fails to impress. I went to see Kavita," he continued casually, turning back towards the door. "She agreed I should verify her results and gave me a sample. I'll be a day at most."
Still, Kitty and Emma said nothing, because what was there to say to that? And when had he even gone?
Logan just turned the TV up louder.
*****
Another day, another incident where the staff of the Xavier School tried to kill each other. This time it was Hank and Logan, in a fight that ended up spilling into the hall full of students- through the wall of Hank's lab, too, so that would have to be repaired just like the window to Scott and Emma's room- until Emma made them stop and brought the whole team into the Danger Room again for another meeting. Kitty didn't know exactly what happened, except that it had started over the sample of the "cure" that Hank had gotten from Kavita Rao, but she could come up with a few ideas on how that fight went.
"Oh, this is really pushing it," Logan said when they walked in.
This time, the room was done up like a children's nursery, complete with a tea party. Again the scale was off, so that standing up people's heads barely cleared the top of the table. It was kind of hilarious, since Kitty wasn't the one in trouble. If she had been, she'd have thrown a fit.
"I didn't program it, but I happen to find it perfectly appropriate," Emma said. "I am clearly the only adult on the entire team."
"She's a teacher. Ethics, and all," Kitty said dryly.
"Hank, do you think your sample of the serum's still viable?" Scott asked.
"I think so," he answered.
"When we're done, finish your analysis. Let's not be tearing each other apart over a fake," Scott told him.
"And if it works?" Logan asked, half-directing that at Hank. Yep. Hank was thinking of using the cure himself if it worked. That was about what Kitty had thought.
"Then I'm trusting you not to do anything till you've spoken to me," Scott said. "I have to say that I'm with Logan on this. But it's your life. And I'm just asking that we talk. Is that fair?"
Hank didn't really answer. "What did Fury say?"
While they'd been at the school, Scott had met with Nick Fury to talk about the situation and the cure and whether there was anything that could be done. "We're on our own. Either Nick Fury has joined the ranks of the mutant-hating masses since the attack on Manhattan, or he's hiding an agenda. Either way, we shouldn't expect any real help from the government here."
Logan flopped into the lap of a giant stuffed bear. "There's a big change."
"What about the professor?" Kitty wondered. "Do you think he knows what's happening?"
"The professor isn't running this team," Emma said. "And we're not about to go whimpering to him for help at the first sign of a crisis. Scott?"
"Um. Yes. I agree," Scott said, and don't think that answer made her feel any better after the conversation she'd had with Emma. "Um, Kitty, you're our computer whiz. So start running down Benetech. I wanna know exactly who's funding this research. Hank's in the lab. Emma, check the students. I'm gonna contact some of the other teams, so how far this is reaching."
"Me?" Logan asked from his bear.
"Have a beer. And stay away from Hank."
"It's a plan."
That seemed to be it, so everyone got up to leave. "Are you gonna fight everyone, Logan?" Kitty asked. "I just wanna know if I'm next."
"Nah," he said. "You'd go ninja on me. I can't take that kind of hurt."
[NFB and all that! Taken from Astonishing X-Men #3.]
First up today was a teenage boy named Wing, who she'd met with outside while he told her about when he first learned about his power and how amazing flying felt. "I can't lose that," he'd said.
"That's not gonna happen. Just 'cause someone goes on TV and says they have a cure for mutation doesn't mean that it's even true. And if it is, nobody's gonna force it on you," she'd said. She'd also said things like, "Mutants are a community," and "We're stronger than this."
He'd said, "Are you a fucking retard?"
Kitty'd cut that session short after that, and was still fuming as she walked into the kitchen area, where Logan was watching the news reports about Benetech and eating cold pizza for breakfast, and Emma was getting started on her coffee. Oh, good, Kitty wanted an audience to complain to. "How much detention are we allowed to give? What's the maximum amount of detention the human body can withstand?"
"Counseling going well, then?" Emma asked lightly.
"Great."
"Let me guess. 'The mutants are a community' line didn't quite fly?"
"You looked at the news, punkin?" Logan asked.
"The mutants aren't a community, punkin," Emma said pointedly. "They're pathetic sheep, begging to be shorn. Three students were missing from my Ethics class. Seventeen overall. Logan had to break up two fistfights and a mystical swordfight. And that dreadful Guatemalan crab-boy is at Benetech telling reporters this is every mutant's only chance to avoid burning in everlasting hellfire. This is eating us from the inside out."
Kitty frowned at her. "Oh my god. You teach ethics?"
"Yes, do let's make jokes right now," Emma said, sipping her coffee.
"I'm not joking. I have a very large problem with that concept."
"Our students are fleeing the school, you half-wit."
"Well maybe it's time for another peppy 'they will always hate us' speech. I'm sure that helped."
From his chair, she heard Logan mutter, "I thought I was the one with the claws…"
"Just tell me there's coffee," Hank grumbled, rubbing his face as he came in, wearing his lab coat over his pajamas.
"Have you been up all night?" Emma asked.
"Lab. Checking out a sample of Dr. Rao's mutant cure serum."
Kitty poured some coffee into his waiting mug, but asked, "How did you-"
"She gave it to me."
Kitty and Emma both looked at him.
Hank sipped the coffee. "Peruvian blonde, first beans of the season. Emma, your taste never fails to impress. I went to see Kavita," he continued casually, turning back towards the door. "She agreed I should verify her results and gave me a sample. I'll be a day at most."
Still, Kitty and Emma said nothing, because what was there to say to that? And when had he even gone?
Logan just turned the TV up louder.
*****
Another day, another incident where the staff of the Xavier School tried to kill each other. This time it was Hank and Logan, in a fight that ended up spilling into the hall full of students- through the wall of Hank's lab, too, so that would have to be repaired just like the window to Scott and Emma's room- until Emma made them stop and brought the whole team into the Danger Room again for another meeting. Kitty didn't know exactly what happened, except that it had started over the sample of the "cure" that Hank had gotten from Kavita Rao, but she could come up with a few ideas on how that fight went.
"Oh, this is really pushing it," Logan said when they walked in.
This time, the room was done up like a children's nursery, complete with a tea party. Again the scale was off, so that standing up people's heads barely cleared the top of the table. It was kind of hilarious, since Kitty wasn't the one in trouble. If she had been, she'd have thrown a fit.
"I didn't program it, but I happen to find it perfectly appropriate," Emma said. "I am clearly the only adult on the entire team."
"She's a teacher. Ethics, and all," Kitty said dryly.
"Hank, do you think your sample of the serum's still viable?" Scott asked.
"I think so," he answered.
"When we're done, finish your analysis. Let's not be tearing each other apart over a fake," Scott told him.
"And if it works?" Logan asked, half-directing that at Hank. Yep. Hank was thinking of using the cure himself if it worked. That was about what Kitty had thought.
"Then I'm trusting you not to do anything till you've spoken to me," Scott said. "I have to say that I'm with Logan on this. But it's your life. And I'm just asking that we talk. Is that fair?"
Hank didn't really answer. "What did Fury say?"
While they'd been at the school, Scott had met with Nick Fury to talk about the situation and the cure and whether there was anything that could be done. "We're on our own. Either Nick Fury has joined the ranks of the mutant-hating masses since the attack on Manhattan, or he's hiding an agenda. Either way, we shouldn't expect any real help from the government here."
Logan flopped into the lap of a giant stuffed bear. "There's a big change."
"What about the professor?" Kitty wondered. "Do you think he knows what's happening?"
"The professor isn't running this team," Emma said. "And we're not about to go whimpering to him for help at the first sign of a crisis. Scott?"
"Um. Yes. I agree," Scott said, and don't think that answer made her feel any better after the conversation she'd had with Emma. "Um, Kitty, you're our computer whiz. So start running down Benetech. I wanna know exactly who's funding this research. Hank's in the lab. Emma, check the students. I'm gonna contact some of the other teams, so how far this is reaching."
"Me?" Logan asked from his bear.
"Have a beer. And stay away from Hank."
"It's a plan."
That seemed to be it, so everyone got up to leave. "Are you gonna fight everyone, Logan?" Kitty asked. "I just wanna know if I'm next."
"Nah," he said. "You'd go ninja on me. I can't take that kind of hurt."
[NFB and all that! Taken from Astonishing X-Men #3.]