xmen

Magik and the New Mutants Season 1

Episode 1: The New Class

"To me, my New Mutants."

The telepathic call rang out through the mansion which constituted Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Heads turned in the direction from which the call was issued, and immediately all of the students stopped what they were doing and began to head towards the mansion's lower levels.

The man who had made the call, Charles Xavier himself, was sitting in his wheelchair in an advanced control room. He frowned as he stared at the seat that stood in front of the controls for the Danger Room. He was the only person who did not use that seat when overseeing a session in the X-Men's training facility.

This was a time for new beginnings, Xavier thought to himself as he put his hands on the sides of his wheelchair and began to push himself to his feet. With great effort, he stood up, taking a deep breath as he focused on his next task, walking the short distance to the other chair.

Xavier slowly lifted his right foot, and immediately collapsed to the floor with a cry of pain.

"Professor!" yelled the control room's only other occupant, a blonde teenage girl.

The girl bent down and helped Xavier up. The professor looked forlornly at the chair he had attempted to reach, so close, and yet so far away, before slumping back into his wheelchair with a sad sigh.

"Thank you, Illyana."

Though a student at the school, Illyana Rasputin was the only resident of the mansion who was not a member of either the senior team, the X-Men, or the new student team, the New Mutants.

"I don't understand," Illyana told her teacher. "I thought your legs were supposed to be fully healed."

Xavier nodded. "They are. My problem is psychosomatic. Ever since my original injury, I have used my psychic powers to block out the pain. But because of this, my body does not realize that it has been healed, and any attempt at walking will cause the very pain I did not let myself feel all those years ago."

He looked at Illyana. "Let this be a lesson for you, child. Do not repeat my mistake. Do not attempt to drown out your pain. The result will be that it will be much worse when you do finally feel it."

Xavier turned his attention to the Danger Room as the New Mutants began to enter the training facility.

Xuân Cao Mạnh, Sam Guthrie, Daniel Moonstar, Kitty Pryde, Roberto Da Costa, and Rahne Sinclair lined up in their new blue and yellow uniforms and grinned at each other. All except for Kitty, who crossed her arms and pouted at the control room.

Xavier spoke into a small microphone. "Welcome to the Danger Room. For most of you, this is your first time here. This facility is designed to be a safe place for you to practice using your powers, so if the need arises you will be prepared for any eventuality."

He pressed a button, and a series of obstacles appeared throughout the danger room.

"Your first exercise is a simple one. Avoid the obstacles and make it to the exit. Who wants to go first?"

"I will," Roberto declared confidently. He was a strong, handsome young man of Afro-Latina descent with a smile that made girls swoon. With a flex of his arms, he powered up, his body becoming covered in an aura that was at once black and glowing. It was an effect that earned him the mutant moniker Sunspot.

As Roberto stepped forward, a portion of the wall flipped open, revealing a large robot standing in Roberto's way.

"Is this the best you can do, Professor?" Roberto scoffed. He drew his right arm back and threw a punch at the robot, only for his arm to sink into the metallic surface.

"Hey, what's going on?" he yelled. "I can't get my arm out!"

Roberto's teammates shared a laugh at his expense, and in the control room, Illyana covered her mouth to hide her smile. Only Xavier was not amused by Roberto's failure.

"Rahne, would you like to go next?"

Rahne was the youngest member of the team. She had extremely short red hair and spoke in a thick Scottish accent. At Xavier's command, she transformed into a large red wolf known as Wolfsbane.

She proceeded slowly and cautiously, sniffing along the ground for any sign of danger. Her enhanced animal senses gave her a heads-up on any threat, allowing her to avoid most of the obstacles.

However, she was unprepared for a trap door to open up beneath her, causing her to fall into a deep pit and fail the test.

"Sam, you're up."

Sam Guthrie was the tallest of the New Mutants by far. He was a skinny blonde with a thick Kentucky accent.

Sam bent down as if he was preparing for a 100-meter sprint and blasted off. This power earned him the name Cannonball. While he used it, he was virtually invulnerable.

Unfortunately, Sam did not know how to maneuver while blasting, and the first obstacle knocked him off course. He began to bounce around the danger room, ping-ponging off of the various obstacles like a pinball until he finally, unceremoniously, collided with the floor almost exactly where he started.

"Professor," Dani called out, "how are Shan and I supposed to do this? Our powers are mental. They won't work on machines."

"You are correct, Danielle," Xavier answered. "However, your powers are not the be-all and end-all. To demonstrate, Kitty will run the course without the use of her powers."

Kitty Pryde was a brown and curly-haired Jewish girl from Chicago. With a roll of her eyes, she stepped forward and began the test.

Kitty faced all of the obstacles that had stumped Roberto, Rahne, and Sam, from robots to trap doors. But she deftly avoided each one, moving quickly, never staying still for even an instant, until finally, she was on the other side.

Most of the team clapped, but Roberto crossed his arms and hmphed derisively. "Sure. It's easy when your power is nothing can touch you."

Kitty matched Roberto's derisive expression. "It's because I'm a real X-Man, not an X-baby like the rest of you."

Xavier buried his face in his palm as the argument broke out below.

"What'd you call us?" Roberto demanded.

"Ah'm older'n you," Sam declared.

"Do you have any idea what we've been through?" Xuân asked.

An image of Xavier's head appeared in the air between them.

"Enough!" he declared telepathically.

"Kitty, it is true that your time in the X-Men has given you an experience your classmates lack. But they are still your peers, and you will treat them with respect."

"And when are you going to treat me with the respect I deserve?" Kitty demanded.

"Right now, you have not earned it," Xavier said as his image disappeared from their minds.

The New Mutants exited their locker rooms in their civilian clothes, Kitty storming ahead of them in a fit of rage.

Illyana quickly followed after her.

"Professor Xavier is a jerk!" Kitty said loudly.

"It isn't fair!" she complained to Illyana. "I earned my place in the X-Men! They all say so! So why does he keep treating me like a child?"

"Maybe because you're acting like one?" Illyana answered.

"Not you too! I thought you'd be on my side, at least."

Illyana looked down uncomfortably as she struggled to find the words to explain herself.

"I guess … I just don't understand … why someone would want to grow up … before they have to."

Kitty stopped in her tracks and took a deep, horrified breath.

"Oh my gosh. I-I'm so sorry, Illyana. I didn't mean-"

"What's done is done," Illyana said. "Wishing and griping won't change it. All you're doing is making everybody miserable."

"Why don't we go to the arcade? That'll cheer me up," Kitty suggested.

"But we've got dance lessons next," Illyana observed.

"I think the X-bay – sigh – the New Mutants and I need some space right now. Come on. I'm sure I can get Doug to join us."

The New Mutants met Stevie Hunter in front of the mansion. Stevie was an African American woman who had once held dreams of competing in the Olympics before a leg injury ended her gymnastics career. She ran a dancing school in town and was one of Charles Xavier's closest human allies who knew most of his secrets.

"Where're Kitty and Illyana?" Stevie asked.

"Her royal highness thinks she's too good for us," Roberto explained, making Stevie scowl.

They got into Stevie's van so she could drive them into town for dance class.

"What's her problem, anyway?" Dani asked.

"She's been through a lot with the X-Men," Stevie explained.

"We've been through a lot too!" Roberto said angrily.

Roberto had lost his girlfriend Juliana days after his mutant power manifested. A group of mutant haters had attempted to kill Roberto, and Juliana jumped in front of him, taking a bullet that had been meant for him.

Sam had been forced to leave school to work in the mines when his father suddenly died. His powers manifested during a cave-in which had nearly buried him and his coworkers alive.

Rahne was an orphan who was raised by a fanatical minister before he attempted to kill her when her powers manifested, claiming she was possessed by a demon.

Dani's parents had been killed by a bear, and shortly before her arrival, her grandfather had been beaten to death by mutant-hunters looking for her.

Xuân was a refugee from a war-torn nation who had recently come to America with her little brother and sister.

"Are you at least getting along with Illyana?" Stevie asked.

"We're not fighting with her, at least," Xuân answered. "But she never talks to us."

"There's something off about her," Roberto said.

"Is she a mutant like us, Stevie?" Sam asked.

"If she was, she'd be doing the same exercises in the Danger Room with the rest of you," Stevie answered.

Neither Stevie nor her passengers noticed another car hidden in the woods just off the road as they drove by.

The car pulled out onto the road and began to follow Stevie's vehicle.

"Alert headquarters that they're heading towards Salem Center," the driver told his passenger.

The passenger picked up a speaker: "Lookout one to Wideawake – status report: Vehicle registered to Stevie Hunter proceeding down Graymalkin Lane. Five occupants besides Hunter – all young people, presumably Xavier's new students. Unable to confirm identities without jeopardizing our cover. Request instructions."

A man with red hair and sunglasses appeared on a monitor in front of the passenger seat.

"Maintain discreet surveillance. Additional units will join you in town," their superior said.

"What then, Mr. Gyrich," the passenger asked. "Do we arrest them?"

"Let me make myself clear, until you receive orders to the contrary, you and your team will do nothing to alarm these children or their teachers," Gyrich said angrily. "Should that policy change, you will be notified. Wideawake out."

Xavier wheeled himself into his study, where the senior members of the X-Men had gathered.

"Are you ok, Professor?" asked the furry blue mutant Kurt Wagner, who was also known as Nightcrawler. "You seem even more stressed than usual today."

"Yes, acclimating the new students is proving difficult, and Kitty isn't making it any easier," Xavier explained.

"What did you expect?" asked Logan, who was also known as Wolverine. "The kid was in the majors, and you demoted her all the way down to high school varsity. In her shoes, I'd be throwing a tantrum too."

"Allowing Kitty to be part of the X-Men was a mistake," Xavier declared. "Now that we have more students her own age, we have an opportunity to correct that mistake. I won't have children risking their lives unnecessarily."

"You did not summon us to rehash arguments about Kitty's place on our team," said the X-Men's leader, Ororo Munroe, who was also known as Storm.

Xavier nodded. "That is correct. I asked you here to discuss Illyana's situation."

The X-Men all exchanged troubled looks, and the last member, the large Russian mutant Piotr Rasputin, also known as Colossus, glared at the professor.

"We agreed that we would observe her in case of trouble, but otherwise she would be welcome here without question," Ororo recalled.

"That was when it was just the X-Men living here," Xavier said. "Now that there are other children here, I believe it would be prudent to reexamine the risks of having her around."

Piotr slammed his fist against the wall. "If you kick out my sister, then you will have to kick me out as well," he declared.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Petey," Logan said. "Chuck's got a point. The girl's dangerous."

Piotr walked over to Logan and glared down daggers at him. The massive Russian towered over the diminutive Canadian.

"How dare you…" Piotr said under his breath.

"What do you mean, Logan?" Xavier asked.

"Just what I said. She's dangerous," Logan said, seemingly unfazed by Piotr.

"Could you explain why?" Ororo asked.

Logan shook his head. "'Fraid not. It's a feeling I get whenever she's around. She scares me a lot more than you do when you try to be intimidating, Petey. It's a primal fear. I've only ever experienced it two other times – when we fought Magneto and with Jean when she was at her worst."

Everyone flinched collectively at the mention of Jean Grey at her worst.

"You don't really think …" Kurt began.

"If I thought she meant us harm, I'd have already taken care of her myself," Logan said. "Being dangerous doesn't mean she's not trustworthy."

"Logan's animal instincts are almost always right," Ororo observed. "If he says Illyana is dangerous, then we have to assume she is."

"Stop it!" Piotr yelled. "We should be helping her, not treating her like a threat!"

"I agree," Kurt said. "We should do everything in our power to help her. But we can't be blind to the possibility that she's a trojan horse."

Xavier sighed. "Hopefully being around more children her own age will help her open up more."

Stevie drove the five to her studio in Salem Center, where she taught her dancing classes. They changed clothes again at the locker rooms and entered the dance classroom. Dani stopped in the doorway.

They were not the only ones there. Four other teenagers had arrived before them, a brown-haired boy and girl who looked like twins, a pretty blonde girl with curly blonde hair, and a red-headed boy with large glasses.

"You must be the new class at Xavier's," the blonde said with a sweet smile.

"Indeed we are," Roberto responded. He stepped forward with his own winning smile, confident in the way his tight dancing clothes highlighted his muscular and athletic figure. "I'm Roberto. This is Sam, Dani, Rahne, and Xi'an."

"Xuân," the Asian girl corrected him.

"Right. Sorry. I'll get it eventually. And you are?" he asked the blonde.

"Tandy," she answered. "These are Mike and Mindy, and Peter. We go to the School of the Holy Child."

"Nice," Roberto said. "I went to a private Catholic school as well when I lived in Brazil."

As the two groups of teenagers began to mingle Stevie turned to Dani, who had gone pale and not moved from the doorway. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"I didn't realize there'd be other kids here," Dani said, "normal kids."

"Charles thinks you should have more opportunities to meet and interact with other kids," Stevie explained. "But if it makes you feel uncomfortable…"

Dani nodded. "It does."

Professor Xavier was waiting at the mansion's main entrance when Kitty and Illyana returned from the arcade. Kitty had known there was no point in attempting to sneak past the most powerful telepath on Earth, so she did not try.

"Playing hooky? And here I thought your antics couldn't get more childish," he admonished them. "First me, then your new classmates, now you disrespect Ms. Hunter. I'm very disappointed in the both of you."

Turning to Illyana, he said: "You are going to help Ororo and Kurt prepare dinner, and then you are going to help your brother with the dishes. They're already waiting for you in the kitchen."

Illyana nodded silently and went off, giving Kitty an annoyed look.

"It wasn't her fault, Professor," Kitty explained. "I made her come with me."

"If you insist on being a bad influence, then there are going to be consequences for following your example," Xavier stated. "If this happens again, I am going to seriously consider moving you two to different rooms."

"No!" Kitty begged. "I promise, it won't happen again. Just let us stay roommates."

Xavier nodded. "Very well. See that you don't give me any more reason to reconsider this arrangement."

The New Mutants' return to the mansion in Stevie Hunter's car was recorded by a long-distance camera hundreds of meters from the entrance, far enough to avoid being detected by any telepaths who were not specifically looking for spies, it was hoped.

The live feed was received on a large screen in a command and control room underneath the Pentagon, watched by Henry Peter Gyrich.

Gyrich, with his expensive suit and dark glasses he wore even indoors, was as stereotypical as a government agent could get. Were it not for his bright red hair, which he kept short, he would easily blend into any room and become practically invisible.

As the head of the recently-created Commission of Superhuman Activities, Gyrich oversaw the military and clandestine aspects of the American government's response to the mutant issue. The fact that mutant powers usually manifested at puberty was an unfortunate complication in his eyes, as it meant that any policy would have to take mutant children into account, the one thing that he feared could lead to public backlash against attempts to contain the mutant threat.

"What the hell is Xavier doing?" he asked under his breath.

One of the technicians working at a console with another screen turned to look up at him. "Sir?"

"Nothing, Robert. Get back to work."

Gyrich turned to his assistant, a serious-looking woman standing in the corner behind him. "Get me Sebastian Shaw," he instructed her.

At the end of dinner, Nightcrawler cleared the table by performing a series of acrobatic feats, grabbing and stacking the glass plates with his feet and tail while balancing on one hand before leaping all the way to the kitchen sink without dropping or chipping a single one. This display, reminiscent of his past as a circus performer, delighted most of the teens. Even Illyana cracked a smile, while the others laughed. Except for Rahne.

"Tis no' right," she said to herself in her thick Scottish accent, "to break bread with and laugh at a demon."

Sam excused himself from the table first and went straight to his room, where he took out his cell-phone. This was a new iPhone, given to him by Professor Xavier, and was by far the most expensive thing he had ever owned.

"Hi, Ma," he said into the device, "I'm doing great, actually. Ah didn't realize how much Ah missed being in school while Ah was working in the mines. Ah do feel kind of weird being here, though. It's a very exclusive school, and there aren't that many students. But on the plus side, Ah can get a lot of one on one time with the Professor or the other teachers if Ah need any help with anything. Ah'm starting to think Ah might actually be able to go to college in a couple of years. How're things back home? Did you get the check Professor sent?"

Sam nearly dropped his phone. "It was how much? That's more than Ah made in three months in the mines. Ah don't think Ah implied we needed that much."