The night had played out like any other, a long day of classes a rather drab and boring dinner followed by a few hours of lying back before it was time for bed. It was one of those nights. You know, that night where no matter what do or try there’s just nothing to do. Three hundred movies and not a thing you want to watch. Over one hundred video games and not a thing you want to play. Internet? Sure, but no one’s hanging out in your favorite chat room this evening.

The commons was silent save for the large OLCD television providing the grandest picture of the least amount of interesting television FOX had to offer this evening. Bored out of his mind Kazuo clicked on the remote, one channel after another. Frank sat lazily on the opposite end of the couch, just as bored and losing hope that anything would be found to watch. Ren was talking to Jamie at a small table by the window, which was common for him; he seemed to a guy who always had someone or something needing his attention. Revenant sat over by the wall scrawling something in his journal as was common for him.

Morri however wasn’t there for any particular reason than to spend a few moments ‘people watching’ in an attempt to gain better understanding of people and hopefully her place among them. She really couldn’t have picked a worse night…

An explosion suddenly caught the attention of everyone in the room. All heads suddenly shot over to the direction of the OLCD screen. It appeared Kazuo had found something interesting to watch…

“We are live on the scene,” a pretty news reporter almost yelled into her microphone as she ducked low and pressed an earbud into her ear. “Again, we are live in Times Square where an anti-mutant protest has turned violent with local pro-mutant activists over the recent Dreadnought Initiative announced by President Obama just earlier this morning!”

The camera wavered as another impact shook the ground. A car flew through the air and landed into a small crow of people, crushing and killing several almost instantly. A mammoth of a man, eight feet tall and bulging with muscles laughed as the vehicle skidded to a halt in a shower of bloody sparks. There appeared to be other mutants present, only a few, their features obscured by dust and debris, but they were no less relentless in their abuse of any local citizen who came within reach of their abilities.

“Authorities have been altered but so far gas, live ammunition and negotiations,” every mutant present in the commons room of LHA noticed how ‘negotiations’ came last in her sentence. It was the perfect spin and the media was popular for it. They’d claim that the authorities tried talking down the mutants before killing them, they just failed to mention that they shot first and talked down later. “A stalemate has been reached but thus far the local authorities have been unable to reach national authorities to resolve this issue without further civilian casualties!”

“Oh, God.” Jamie said softly, horrified by the spectacle. The young warper covered her mouth in shock. “They’re going to blame us all for their stupidity.”

Kazuo hated nights like this, nothin' to do, and not a goddamned thing on, except some fuckin' protest rally about something he didn't understand and didn't really care about. Some of the shit they were talking about did sound sorta familiar, like maybe a teacher'd been talking about it in one of his classes or something - one of the really boring ones...

The other kids seemed to know what the hell this was all about though, so he turned to look around at them and asked, "Oy. Whatsa 'Drednot Initiative'? An' why's this dumbass oni-lookin' motherfucker an' all his little friends so pissed off about it?"

"Do you ever fucking read the news, Cyclops?" Ren asked lackadaisically. That earned him a nasty and reproving look from Jamie.

He shrugged defensively back at her, then turned his head slightly to add. "Anti-mutant legislation. And that right there," he pointed at the big screen. "is the kind of bullshit that makes it possible. Fuckwad grows some green skin and thinks he's the hulk and starts tearing shit up, and the rest of us pay for it."

"Ren." Jamie chided.

"What? It's true as hell. You think Conrad Whatshisface and the rest of those goons in suits give a shit if you only cross when the light is green? Fucking ay, Jamie."

"REN. I don't like that language."

"Yeah. Okay. But," Ren stabbed his finger at the TV screen a few more times. "that's why we're all gonna wind up staring out of electrified fences and drinking nettle soup and wishing we'd been as lucky as that freak Mark, living off caterpillars in the fucking woods."

"You're hopeless." Jamie shook her head.

"I'm realistic." He corrected mildly.

"Cuz the news sucks. Anyways, why should I when yer sittin' right there an' can tell me all about it, ya pussy-whipped little shit?" Kazuo's language as he spoke to Ren was pretty harsh, but his expression was disinterested and mild.

He listened as Ren ranted for a couple of seconds, and then turned back to the television set, looking bored. Kazuo was pissed at what he saw on the television set, and in principle at least he agreed with Ren, but he was just as pissed off at the douchebag mutants killing people on national television as he was at whatever this 'Dreadnought' anti-mutant legislation was. And anyway, what the hell was he supposed to do about any of this shit?

Tired of watching people die violently on live television while the news reporter on the scene tried not to look too excited about it, Kazuo started flipping channels again, hoping to find a good movie or something.

"Grass hops better," Morri said suddenly. She'd been having trouble following the conversation, but the talk of sustainable food had caught her brain. As the others blinked at her, she said, "Cata Pills squishy. Grass hops have good taste, strong crunch."

Her eyes turned back to the television, even though Kazuo had flipped away from the news. She thought of herself, in the wilds of Africa, killing and hurting. She thought of the big mutant who had stopped her. He'd taken that some of the blood off of her hands when he'd done so.

"Where way to Times Square? Math room?" They talked about squares in math, surely that was right.

Ren stared at Morri for a long moment, then shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Cyclops, put it back on, man. Maybe you and Special Ed over there can learn something."

Jamie reached discretely under the table give Ren's side a strong pinch.

"Ahh!" Ren abruptly straightened. He locked eyes with Jamie, who looked unflinchingly back at him, then slowly settled back into his slouch.

"Times Square is in New York," Jamie patiently explained.

Morri scowled. She knew that New York was far away from here. She needed a car to get there before things were done. "Need car," she said, as if this were the most normal request in the world. "Need go." She waved in the general direction of the TV.

There could be no mistake - the obvious mutant wanted to drive into the heat of a mutant-caused riot and try to stop other mutants from hurting humans. It was crazy, but then so was the red-eyed girl.

Kazuo ignored the annoying Korean kid and kept right on flipping through the channels, trying to find something cool on. He smirked and chuckled when Jaime pinched Ren though.

Kazuo's smirk turned into a large grin as he listened to Morri's craziness, and when she was done he said, "Ya don't need a car ta get there, Morri."

When she looked at him with a confused look on her face, he grinned mischievously and explained, "Just ask Jaimie, Morrie. She could getcha there right now."

Frank sat farthest away from the television, quiet and unobtrusive. The news was making him sick, and only partly because of the violence and death. Anti-mutant sentiment had never affected him until so recently. He had taken it for granted his whole life that mutants were dangerous, savage freaks that needed to be controlled or put down. He had never known any, nor known anyone who knew any. Mutation just didn't happen in the suburbs.

Then it turns out that Frank is one. Shame, guilt, embarrassment, horror, loathing. His parents still loved him, but were probably traumatized by the guilt and shame that they had spawned a mutie freak. At the same time, he disappointed them, couldn't be the kid they had wanted. He knows it's not really his fault, but the feelings are still there. There is also the feeling of being a victim. We're victims of chance, just as if we were hurt by a natural disaster, but there's no sympathy for us. We deserve sympathy, some compassion. Why was none of this apparent until after becoming?

The mutants on TV, in New York City, were they once normal? Do they remember what it was like, how they felt about mutants? Maybe they do. Maybe that's making them angrier.

Now Frank practically didn't know anyone except mutants, and they're the same as everyone else for the most part, just often with built-in concealed weapons... Was Frank the only kid in the room raised in America? How are mutants treated in other countries? A couple of these kids are Asian. Are mutants treated the same over there? Do these kids remember how they felt about mutants before they found out about themselves?

When Kazuo changed the channel, Frank opened his mouth to ask him to change it back, but closed it again. The scarred boy was intimidating, and Ren started to argue with him anyway.

Trying to go to NYC immediately seemed like a very bad idea, especially conspicuously by teleporting in with glowing eyes while the authorities are so trigger-happy. We do mostly look normal, though. Maybe if Morri wore my hat and sunglasses...but no, that's so risky.

Frank leaned forward in his seat and continued to listen to everyone.

Jamie, who'd been comfortably snuggled against Ren, scowled at Kazuo and closed her eyes. "We're not the Super Friends," she mumbled. "I'm not 'porting anybody into something like that. It'd be suicide." And maybe if everyone stopped talking about it she could get to work in pretending it wasn't happening at all.