Sororum

Sitting in a car for more than an hour was painful, but sitting in a giant, sleek jet for five hours was just as bad. Currently Charles and I, along with some other mutants I had grown fond of were flying from New York to Texas in this giant piece of metal. The mutant who was driving, Beast, who was a big mass of blue fur and muscle called out for everyone to buckle up for landing.

We were in town to see the president in his parade and make sure Erik didn’t try anything funny. Charles had said that Erik was unpredictable and he never knew what to expect from his old comrade. Minutes later we were safely on ground and changing from our X Suits into more appropriate clothing. X Suits are clothes specifically designed by the ever brilliant Beast to help us with our powers in a high pressure situation and looked kind of cool. My suit was just easily ripped fabric and honestly made my morphing so much easier. Beast had made it for me after a training session where I‘d almost choked from the collar of the shirt I had been wearing.

No one could fix my nudity problem.

We moved into a government building and we were instantly searched, then brought to talk with the president’s guards. “Charles, Hank, good to see you two again.”

Charles smiled at the man. “And you as well, now what is it you called us here for?”

The man’s face dropped and he straightened his blazer, “We would just be very grateful if you and you’re... team, would be an extra set of eyes and guard the president from the crowd."

Banshee stepped forward, a confused and angry look on his face, “If I recall correctly, man, you suits weren’t afraid to shoot bombs at us before, and now you’re asking for our help?”

Charles shot Banshee a silencing look and I placed my hand on Banshee’s arm as a comfort and I felt him relax. “The United States government apologizes for that, but the mutants on the island were trying to send us into World War III.” The suited man said, his eyebrows drawing together as he tried to hide his own anger.

“We will assist you, minimally, we cannot risk our own exposure. I’m sure you’ll agree?” Charles said evenly.The man nodded, “Brilliant. If you don’t mind, my team and I will leave here and go survey the area and assign posts?” The man nodded once more before leaving, in response we looked to Charles for further instruction. “Pair up by corresponding powers please.” Everyone nodded and began to pair up, I didn’t move and just waited facing Charles. “Love, you’re with me.” I laughed and came up behind him, taking hold of his chairs arms and began to push him out. “After you’re paired go out and find a good place to stand watch, blend in though please. I’ll stay in contact with all of you.”

We left through a back exit and walked down a couple of blocks to the Dealey Plaza to a cafe. We took a table and ordered drinks, “Charles, what are we really doing here?”

He looked at me and sighed, “I feel like Erik might try something, you know how he feels about the others.”

I nodded and absent mindedly sipped my black iced tea while he took a tender sip of his creamed coffee. “Do you want me to morph into a dog and lead you around? Will that be easier?” I asked him silently. Charles and I had come to agreement a couple of weeks back, he would only read my mind when I either reached out to him to talk or when in an emergency situation.

“No, you can stay you.” He sighed and looked up at me, “How is the practice coming along? I haven’t been able to test you yet.”

I smiled and began to answer but a sudden tug at the back of my mind overwhelmed me. “Are you reading me?” I scrunched up my eyes as the pull became stronger. “Something is wrong. I can feel it.” I quickly stood and ran to the window, there was a girl about my height with the same colored hair running away from the cafe at a record pace. “Charles, something is going to happen, I can feel it.”

He rolled up beside me with a grim look on his face, “Your instincts, from the animal side of you.” I nodded as a response. “I’ll sound the alarm and tell everyone to stay sharp.”

I shook my head and moved to the door, “No, it’s going to happen soon.” I ran from the cafe, all of my senses on high alert, the eyesight of a bald eagle, scents heightened to that of a bloodhound, my hearing like a mountain lion, something was going to happen.

My pulse raced as I felt the need to morph tug on me, I pushed it aside and kept running, the sound of a gunshot blasted through my ears and I, along with the pedestrians around me, dropped to the ground and covered ourselves with our arms. The screams rang out, a second bullet was fired and the sound of the First Lady’s screams were louder than any samaritain around me. “I lost you, where are you? Are you safe? The president’s been killed and the governor was hit.”

That’s when I saw the matching blonde girl again, she was furiously talking with a man in a baseball cap, his face too shaded for my human eyes to see. I turned a corner into an alleyway and morphed into a little brown songbird. “Suspicious man and girl, look through my eyes Charles.” I instantly felt all of him inside of my head and his control over my body, he flew me into a little tree just above the couple who had now started to move away with the crowd, as they moved I caught the profile of the man. Erik. “I see him too, Fera. Follow them, we’re all on our way.” I felt him leave as I followed his order. They turned down a left corner two blocks away from the Plaza, then right at the next intersection. I tried to fly closer, to hear what they were saying when I saw a cluster of birds looking like myself in a tree close to them.

I reached out with my own mind as I came close to them and nestled myself between two female birds. “Love, we’re just around the corner,” Charles said as I saw Banshee swoop around the corner. I turned to see that Erik and Blondie has been joined by a red skinned man and another man in a boring grey suit holding a tiny windstorm in his hand. I let out a long and shrill tweet that was soon mimicked by the birds around me, putting my newfound power to good use. I launched down from the tree, the storm of birds surrounding me following and attacked the mutants below as Banshee let out a screech above us paralyzing the birds. Charles mentally covered my ears, therefore covering the ears of the birds that I now controlled.

“She has a new power?!” Blondie screamed out as she lay writhing on the street with her ears being broken from the inside by the sound of Banshee’s scream. Her voice sounded so familiar, but before I could really think about it Charles motioned for me to call off the birds and return to him, so I did.

The birds I had control over flew from the area as soon as their minds were their own again. Charles held out his jacket and a pair of underwear for me to change into, I morphed back into human form and put them on. “You’ve gotten so used to holding my underwear for me.” I smiled at him as we turned to Erik and his little crew on pause in time.

Charles blushed, “Do I have another option?”

A teammate of ours, Tick Tock, called out to Charles, “I can only hold them so long, Professor.” His forefingers were pressed hard to his temple as his mutation was being fought against by Erik and his crew is miscreants. Tick Tock had the power to put a person on pause, but I’d only ever seen him do it to three people at once and there were at least three mutants fighting him. Blondie’s face was still covered by her long hair and I couldn’t tell if she was trying to use her mutatio or not, if she had one that is.

Tick Tock let out a cry as Erik broke free and charged straight for me, hand extended. I felt my jacket pull me closer, the metal zipper pulling me over. I tried to break free of the jacket but it just seemed impossible. “Charles! Someone!” I screamed out and tried to morpthi nto an animal small enough to slip out of the jacket but a mental block was in my way. Tick Tock let out another scream as another mutant, Blondie broke the pause and held her fingers against her head with her face turned down.

With a final scream from Tick Tock I was struggling in the arms of Erik with a devil-like red face smiling at me. An instant later I found myself in a metal room with a mirrored wall alone. “Erik! Let me go you bastard!” I screamed and pounded on the mirrored wall, knowing that he and his little minions lay behind it. All the while that stupid little tug on my memory was present and I couldn’t shake it, “What did you do to my mind!?”