Prologue
Thirteen Years Ago
AJ leapt over the piles of festering garbage in the dark alley, desperately trying to search for a place to hide. He ran and ran and ran, tripping over various things that lay strewn on the concrete. He could hear his pursuers chasing, trying to keep up with his speed. "Come back here ya little runt!" He blocked out everything else, concentrating on finding a way to escape the gangsters. Stray cats, bags of rubbish, anything he found he flung it behind him in an attempt to obstruct the way and hopefully keep him out of their hands. The hands that had killed his parents.
It'd started out well enough. His father came home early and they went out for dinner in a fancy restaurant. Both his parents were in a good mood for once, when they weren't involved in the bouts of intense sporadic fighting that broke out between them, it was clear that Robert and Denise McLean were still in love even after fifteen years of marriage. They made the mistake of taking a walk around the neighbourhood after eating, forgetting about the news reports of a gang making its rounds in that area, mugging people and gang raping a teenager. Robert was telling AJ a funny story about his co-worker when they saw them.
He'd put up a strong fight at first, but there came a time where Robert was too bruised and battered to continue. The gang leader finished him off without breaking a sweat. Denise, who before that had been trying to hide with ten year old AJ in the shadows, ran out crying and bent over Robert. She was oblivious to the gun barrel that was poised over her head.
AJ finally came to a dead end, and crouched behind a garbage can. He shivered and pulled his coat tighter around him. The New York air seemed chilly even though it was summer. He was scared out of his mind, and yet he could feel his senses on red alert, ready to deal with whatever came his way. A can dropped down from above him and he froze. He relaxed when he realised that it was only a mouse foraging for food. Out of the blue, a hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him up. The gang leader. He was thrown to the ground and viciously kicked by all members of the gang, too weak with fear to fight back. All of a sudden he felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins, warming him up and giving him strength. He jumped out of their grasp and kicked them all in the groin. All of them dropped onto their knees in pain. A gun clattered to the ground, the gang leader himself had let go of his weapon and was writhing about in pain. AJ froze, not knowing what to do next.With a murderous glare in his eyes, the gang leader got up and advanced towards him. With speed and agility that surprised both him and the gang leader, AJ picked up the gun and fired the remaining five rounds into the gangster.
The police found him crying in a corner, not far away from the dead gang leader. They pieced everything together and decided that the gang leader had shot himself while in a scuffle with his dad. AJ himself didn't say a word. When the police asked him how the gang leader and shot himself right in the heart five times, he just stayed silent.
X Men, please gather in the conference room in ten minutes.
Professor Charles Xavier sent out the thought to his proteges and waited. He rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the spasm of pain that had just struck him. It was strange. That meant that there was an extremely powerful psychic somewhere, but he didn't know of anyone powerful enough to give him a throbbing headache. It was probably a new mutant, one that still didn't know how to control his or her power.
"Cerebro, scan for new mutants."
"Scan complete Professor. 5 new mutants found."
Cerebro brought up a profile and read it out in a metallic voice. Professor Xavier scanned it quickly before the next one came. A picture of a long-haired Hispanic man came into view.
Name: Howard Dwaine Dorough
Age: 25
Location: Orlando, Florida, USA
Powers: Ability to read minds, project thoughts and illusions into others' heads. Also posesses telekinetic abilities.
A little old for the emergence of powers, he thought. But then again the human mind and body is something that we may never completely understand.
Name: Nickolas Gene Carter
Age: 21
Location: Jamestown, New York, USA
Powers: Extremely agile, creates energy within body and focuses it with any blade he holds. Excellent swordsman and strategist. Also has a special ability working with electronics.
Professor Xavier looked into the blue eyes of the man, his face broad and appealing, framed by spiky blonde hair. He saw youth, vitality, and enthusiasm. The Silver Samurai of this age? He couldn't help but smile at the thought. With luck he'll turn out differently.
Name: Brian Thomas Littrell
Age: 24
Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Powers: Generates beams of energy with hands. Strength in lower body enables him to take giant leaps. Occasionally forms a ball of energy that resembles a basketball.
Another old one. Professor Xavier was now well and truly baffled. Throughout his years of research he found that powers often surfaced in adolescence, and not when they were fully developed adults. There were always exceptions to the case, but to find three at one go? Or maybe something had blocked Cerebro's range the last few years. If so, then it was time for an upgrade.
Name: Kevin Scott Richardson
Age: 26
Location: Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Powers: Posesses superhuman strength and high resistance to all forms of injury
For someone with superhuman strength, Kevin Richardson had a small, compact frame. His gaze itself was unsettling, steely with reserve and a lack of emotion. The last profile came up on the screen, and this time the Professor was not surprised to find that he also was in his twenties.
Name: Alexander James McLean (alias AJ)
Age: 23
Location: New York City, New York, USA
Powers: Expert marksmen, ability to use any weapon existing and shoots with deadly aim. Enhanced senses and agility.
"Thank you Cerebro, that will be all."
"You're welcome Professor. By the way, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson seem to be cousins."
That was strange. Mutations were the cause of genetics, but didn't usually occur within a family. He turned around in his wheelchair to face the X Men.
"What's the deal Charlie? Couldn't get the pickle jar open?" the gruff voice of Wolverine punctuated the still air.
"Cerebro has detected 5 new mutants, all in their twenties."
"Twenties? Isn't that a bit too old for the emergence of powers Professor?"
"Yes Storm, but that isn't the point. Maybe it's more of a case of 'Why did Cerebro only detect them now?'. In any case I'll be sending you out to enlist these mutants, and bring them back here to Westchester. And Jubilee, you stay here."
"Aw man, not again! I'm hardly the little teenager you once knew Professor."
"Yes, but I need someone back here to run things while the others are gone. Jean, you and Cyclops will be going to Orlando. Rogue, Beast, Storm, go to Lexington. We have two new mutants there. Wolverine and Gambit, New York, first in Jamestown, then to New York City itself."
As the X Men filed out, Professor Xavier couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something was going to happen soon.