“Ssssssh!” she hissed.
Then she turned back around and kept on going. Apparently, if it was a trap, she intended to walk right into it. He didn’t know what to do about that. If Sabretooth decided to carry her off, he couldn’t do a damned thing about it. He looked around wildly for something to use for a staff, but the city park didn’t have many stave-like pieces of wood just sitting around, waiting for people to pick them up and use them as weapons. Go figure. If she insisted on charging into dangerous situations without evaluating them first, he would do his job, just like he did in the Danger Room earlier. He would wait until she inevitably got hurt, and then he’d go and rescue her again. Apparently, she counted on it.
He hung back as she rushed into the wide-open area in front of the museum, waiting to see what would happen. She skirted two police cars and continued on toward the building. Uniformed officers in dark rain slickers and hats with plastic covers stood by the cars, chatting idly. None of them took any notice of her. He edged closer. The park had been largely deserted, but now he could see a fairly steady stream of people walking to and from the parking lot on the far side of the aquarium building, and a big cluster of them standing outside the museum itself, close to the building to protect themselves from the steady drizzle.
He tried to calm himself, but his pulse raced despite his best efforts. He’d never been able to relax in the presence of a uniform. What if they were walking into some locked down area where the cops would haul them in for questioning? Supposedly they couldn’t do that to American citizens, but he’d learned the hard way that those rules didn’t apply to mutants. If Cyclops hadn’t shown up, he might still be rotting away in that jail cell in Michigan. Besides, the rules had never applied to him, not in the same ways they did to everyone else. He just wanted a fair chance, and sometimes he wanted to scream because it felt like every time he turned around, it hovered just out of his reach.
Reluctantly, he followed Eva as she approached the building. She scanned the crowd, looking for Sabretooth, although he probably wouldn’t be there. He’d be too conspicuous, unless he’d gotten a makeover since the last time Christopher had seen his picture. Still, it made sense to look just in case. He joined her, surreptitiously scanning the trees to see if Sabretooth waited for them there, but if so, the dull grey afternoon light made it impossible to tell.
Unease grew in his belly. If this wasn’t a trap, something must have happened here. From the looks of things, it must have been bad.
“I don’t see him,” said Eva. “Let’s look around a little.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for my sister for about a half hour,” said the girl standing next to Christopher. She looked to be around twenty or so, with a heavily made-up face, a tight, glittery shirt, and tiny skirt more suitable for clubbing than museums. Her eyelashes looked too heavy for her lids to hold up. She gave him an appraising look and sidled a little closer. “It’s tough to find anybody in this mess. The museum guards took a bunch of people out the emergency exits, so there’s no telling which one she’s at. Who are you waiting for, handsome?”
He almost ignored her, because right now, the last thing he felt was handsome. But then he realized that this was an opportunity to gather some vital information, and so he gave her a friendly smile. Most of his friends got tongue-tied in the presence of pretty girls, but strangely, he’d never had a problem with that. They were just people, like everybody else.
“Her brother. My sister. They’re here on a date,” he said.
“How nice for them,” replied the girl, giving him a coy look from beneath those heavy lashes. “My name’s Candy. What’s yours?”
“I’m Christopher.”
“And I’m over this already. We’ve got to get moving, Christopher,” said Eva, trying to pull him away. “Remember, we’re on a time crunch?”
“Gimme a minute,” he said, gently extricating himself. “What happened here, Candy? I got pretty worried when I saw all the cops.”
Finally! Eva must have realized he was digging for information instead of randomly flirting, because she let him talk without being constantly yanked on. That was a relief. Candy had started to look like she might smack Eva, and a fight would draw too much attention. Although he’d put his money on Eva in a knockout brawl any day. Candy looked like the kind of girl who would talk big and then cry like a baby the minute anybody stood up to her. Eva might have been annoying the crap out of him over the past half hour or so, but he had to admit that she was tough as nails.
“Oh my god,” said Candy, grabbing his arm with both hands, as if the news she had to impart was so shocking that she needed to hold onto him with both hands to steady herself while she told him. “So my friend and I were at the Grace while my sister and her friends went to the aquarium, and you won’t believe what happened. My friend and I went to that Evolution of Mutants exhibit, and while we were there? A bunch of giant robots came out of literally nowhere and started shooting up the place!”
Sentinels again. It seemed like ever since Christopher had become a mutant, he saw Sentinels everywhere he went. The mutant-hunting robots seemed to multiply like cockroaches, only they were scarier and had fewer legs. Out of all of the developments since he’d become a mutant, they were one of his least favorites, and that said something.
“Literally nowhere, huh?” said Eva. “Impressive.”
“That’s what I said,” said Candy, her eyes flashing.
“I bet that was frightening,” Christopher said, drawing her attention back to him. He smiled again, trying to soothe the anger back out of her. “What did you do?”
“It was just like in the movies! My friend ran, and a piece of debris hit her on the head.”
Candy sounded more thrilled about this than anyone had a right to be.
“That’s awful,” said Christopher.
“Oh, she’s fine. They took her to the hospital in an ambulance, but she just needed a couple of stitches, and the EMT was really hot. She’ll be OK.”
“OK,” said Christopher. “So what happened then?”
Candy blinked. “Nothing, really. The robots shot some things, and they fought this hairy, nasty guy. One of those dirty little muties. I hope they got him.” She shuddered. “The world would be a safer place.”
The smile faded from Christopher’s face. He didn’t know what to say. He had no problem with a little harmless flirting, but he couldn’t exchange compliments with someone who would wish him dead if she knew what he really was. He would still heal her if she needed help – he truly would. If a flying piece of debris hit her on the head right now, he’d save her, knowing that she thought of him as a “dirty little mutie.” But he couldn’t flirt with her. He couldn’t force out the words.
“You OK?” Candy asked. “You look kinda pale.”
Eva stepped in, saving him from replying.
“Do you know where the robots went after that?” she asked.
Candy sniffed disdainfully. “Why are you still here?” she asked. “Can’t you go find your brother and let us talk in peace?”
Eva gave her a cold little smile in return. “No. Do you know where the robots went after that?” she repeated in a clipped cadence that made it clear that her patience had begun to wear thin.
“I assume that the police blew them up or something. How should I know? I’m not the robot keeper around here.”
“Of course not. You are clearly a person of grace and class,” said Eva. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. We need to go.”
Christopher nodded gratefully. He wanted nothing more than to be as far away from this horrible person as possible. He’d rather whisper sweet nothings to a venomous snake than Candy.
That might be a bit melodramatic, but he meant every word. He’d spent a night in jail because of people like her. He’d managed to stay out of trouble his entire life, and g
o figure – healing someone had earned him his first humiliating night behind bars. One of the guards had spat at him. He’d always known that he needed to be cautious – after all, he wasn’t stupid. But he’d always felt like he would be safe so long as he behaved himself. That illusion had been shattered, and all because of prejudiced people like Candy. He hated her. He didn’t want to, but he did, and he couldn’t wait to be rid of her.
“No,” said Candy. “We’re having a conversation!”
She grabbed onto his arm, yanking on him like he was a toy she’d claimed. She hadn’t even asked him if he wanted to stay and chat. Instead, she’d just claimed him, like he had no say in the matter. Even if he hadn’t been a dirty mutant, he wouldn’t have wanted to be with someone so rude and inconsiderate. Who ordered people around like that? It made his earlier spat with Eva seem inconsequential by comparison. Yes, they’d both been silly, but neither of them would ever stoop so low.
Based on the disgust on her face, Eva shared his low opinion of Candy. She looked ready to throw down. Even though he really wanted to give Candy a piece of his mind, it wouldn’t be a good idea to cause a scene with all of these police around.
“As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I’ve got to find my sister,” he said, trying to pry her fingers off.
Candy pouted. “But I’m bored, and I’m tired of just standing here by myself. Why don’t you take me with you?”
“I… can’t,” he said.
“Why not?” she demanded.
He had no idea, and an expression of triumph grew on her face as she realized he had no excuse to bar her from accompanying them. She clapped her hands, bouncing in excitement.
“You can’t come up with a good reason, can you?” she demanded.
“You have to stay here and wait for your sister,” interjected Eva. “Remember?”
Candy waved a hand. “Oh, screw her. I don’t really like her anyway. And I do like him.” She clung back onto Christopher’s arm but then scowled at his goggles. “Except for those things you’re wearing on your head. They’re totally dumb. Take them off.”
“If you touch those goggles, Christopher, I’ll beat you up,” said Eva. Based on her stern expression, she meant every word too. “You like them. They stay.”
After a moment, he smiled at her. “Yeah. Sorry about the remote thing. I can’t remember if I said that or not.”
She shrugged. “Sorry I was a jackwagon.”
“No big.”
Candy looked between the two of them, scowling. “Hey, guys? I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s rude to leave people out of the conversation, you know.”
“I know.” Christopher looked down at her and sighed. “By the way? I’m one of those dirty muties.”
She guffawed right in his face. “Yeah, right.” Then she paused, searching his expression. “I mean, you’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head soberly.
She turned to Eva, her dislike of the other girl forgotten in her need for reassurance. “He’s totally joking, isn’t he?”
Eva shook her head. “Nope. I am too. You should probably get away from us. It might be catching.”
She blew right into Candy’s face. Candy took an involuntary step back before her lips firmed in determination.
“You’re just trying to get rid of me. I know. I’ve seen this before,” she said.
“I bet you have,” muttered Eva.
Christopher smothered a grin. Normally, he didn’t support that kind of snide remark, but Candy took awfulness to an entirely new level. He hadn’t thought that it was possible to be so self-absorbed. Then again, maybe it wasn’t a complete accident that everyone had forgotten about her and left her here alone, either.
Candy folded her arms. “It isn’t going to work. I don’t believe you.”
Wordlessly, Eva stepped close to Candy, tilting her body to shield them from view. Then she opened her trench coat to reveal the yellow X-Men symbol stitched onto the inside pocket. Candy took one look and shrieked, running away from them as fast as her platform shoes would carry her.
Chapter 10
In the wake of Candy’s hasty retreat down the museum front steps, Eva refastened the buttons on her coat as quickly as she could, snickering. Christopher shook his head.
“What a horrible person,” he said.
“You have an incredible gift for understatement,” she responded.
“You know, I thought it was stupid that he made us wear these coats, but now I take it all back.”
“Agreed,” she said. “Let’s go. Time’s ticking away, and we’ve wasted a lot.”
“Yeah. We’re going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble if we don’t get back to the chopper soon,” he agreed. “Cyclops is going to realize that something is up if he hasn’t already.”
They turned in tandem and found themselves face to face with a pair of museum guards who were doing their best to look menacing and official despite the fact that they were only one step up from mall cops. The grey-haired one on the left looked like an angry grandpa who liked to watch NASCAR. The one on the right was Latina and might as well have had the words “tough cookie” tattooed on her forehead. She just had that look about her.
“Hey there,” said the gray-haired one, pretending to be casual. “Everything OK?”
Christopher tensed, although he tried to tell himself that everything would be fine. All he had to do was follow the rules, toe the line, convince the rent-a-cops he wasn’t a threat. But he worried anyway, because he knew it didn’t matter if he followed the rules or if he had the best of intentions. What mattered more was what others saw when they looked at him. Whether or not they feared his skin, or his mutations, or both.
The female guard, whose name badge read “Alvarez”, said, “What are your names?” Her tone was none too polite.
“Why do you want to know?” asked Eva, her chin jutting out in defiance.
Christopher’s stomach sank to his knees. She didn’t get it. Of course she didn’t get it. She was a cute white girl from Australia. She had no idea how much danger she was putting them – and especially him – in by antagonizing the authorities.
“Chill,” he muttered.
She glanced back at him, and he shook his head minutely, trying to warn her off. She returned a confused look but subsided.
In the meantime, Alvarez had edged closer, her hand resting on the butt of her Taser as if to reassure herself. The weapon loomed in Christopher’s vision like a threat. Perhaps that’s exactly what she’d intended.
“Names?” she barked.
“I’m Christopher Muse, ma’am. This is Eva Bell,” Christopher said. “I don’t have my wallet and ID with me, though. I didn’t expect to come downtown today, I’m afraid.”
“And let me guess. You don’t have yours either.” Alvarez looked knowingly at Eva.
To Christopher’s relief, Eva seemed to be picking up on the fact that she should be following his lead. She simply held up her empty hands and said, “No, ma’am,” when he’d half expected her to make a smart remark.
The officers shifted, exchanging glances. Christopher didn’t like any of this. Being an X-Man should have made him feel powerful. He had mutations that allowed him to do what normal humans could only dream of! But instead, he felt just as vulnerable and frightened as he had before.
“What happened with that girl?” asked the second guard, whose badge read “Louth”.
“What girl?” Christopher responded.
“The one who just ran out of here screaming,” Alvarez said, watching him closely.
“Candy’s just dramatic,” said Christopher.
“She wasn’t, like, horror movie screaming,” Eva added.
“Candy? So you know her?” asked Louth.
“Not very well, sir. She keeps asking me out, but I’m not that
interested.” Christopher shrugged, trying to will them to see him as just another college kid. Let them write him off as immature, as silly, as dumb even, if only they didn’t peg him as a bad seed. Because they were looking to pin blame for whatever had happened here on someone. He knew that. Fear that it would be him made him babble. “She just won’t take no for an answer, and it’s starting to get on my nerves. Anyway, she wouldn’t leave for the longest time. She was hanging all over me, and then she realized what time it was, and she was like, ‘Oh, my god, my mom is gonna kill me!’ and she shrieked, and she ran off.”
The guards exchanged a look, and for a moment, Christopher thought that would be it. They’d be free to leave. But then Alvarez said, “What are you wearing on your head?”
“They’re just goggles. Decorative goggles.” Christopher shrugged. “They don’t do anything. I just like how they look is all.”
“Let me see them,” she said, holding her hand out.
It wasn’t a request. He looked at Eva, stricken with worry all over again, and she squeezed his hand in encouragement but there wasn’t much else she could do. He took off the goggles and handed them over. He’d got them at a science fiction convention because he thought they were cool, and he wore them every day. He just liked how they looked, and as an added bonus, they kept his hair out of his eyes. Alvarez inspected them thoroughly and nodded.
“No power supply,” she said, handing them back.
Did they think he’d controlled the robots through his goggles? It seemed like an odd combo. If he was going to attack a museum with some robots, he’d want a joystick or something, but maybe that was just him. It should offend him that they’d checked, and he would be offended later, when he was finally safe, but for the moment, he could only feel a desperate need to get out of here before something awful happened.
“Open the coat,” said Alvarez.
Christopher wanted so badly to refuse. After all, they were just rent-a-cops. They had no right to treat Eva and him like this. Besides, if he opened his coat, they’d see the badge on the inside pocket. It wouldn’t go well, but refusing them wouldn’t either. They’d argue with him, and that would attract the attention of the cops scattered around the courtyard. Either way, there would be trouble. There was no way to win, and dread settled into the pit of his stomach with finality.
Liberty & Justice for All Page 8