ISSUE #7

" Will you tell us what the hell is going on, Jay?"

John asked the boy as he and the rest of the New Mutants gathered.

" Julian and the hellions are going to go and help Kevin."

Jay said to the group.

' Oh, this ain't good.'

John groaned as he rubbed his face.

" Good! Somebody should help him. He didn't do anything wrong."

Laurie exclaimed.

" I hate this whole situation. I didn't want any of this to happen. But it did. And now it is out of our hands. We have to trust Dani and the other teachers to get him a good defense attorney. If we go attack them, we'll be making the school and every Mutant here an enemy of the United States government. As much as I wish I could join Julian and go in there guns blazing. We can't. And we can't let him do it either."

John explained to the group.

" John is right. John we could race down to the station..."

Noriko was explaining.

" Noriko, no. If we go after them we could make the situation worse. I think we should tell the teachers."

John said to the group.

" Besides Sofia is the one in charge, this should be her call."

David spoke up.

" Sorry, David... But that's not possible. When I said no to Julian, he went to get other help. I followed him and he asked Sofia. She agreed."

Jay explained to the group.

" All right, guess we're going in. Get suited up everyone."

John said to the New Mutants.

The others all nodded and ran back to the Institute to get ready to go stop the Hellions. Once they were ready, they headed out to the train station to stop their classmates. Along the way John made a call that he hated to make.

" How can I help you john?"

Scott asked the boy over the phone.

" The Hellions are going to the train station for Kevin. The New Mutants are going to try and stop them."

John said before hanging up on the man

' I hope this doesn't break out into a fight. A man who can shoot lightning from his hands isn't exactly discreet.'

John thought to himself as he ran with the others to the train station. Arriving in time to stop Julian and the Hellions.

" Small talk later Cess, we got work to do. I'm taking this wall down now. his won't be quiet. So, we move fast. Everyone be prepared to take out the F.B.I. if we have to."

Julian explained to his group as he prepared to destroy the wall keeping Kevin in place.

" See, now that's a really bad idea. You guys are about to make a huge mistake Julian."

John said to the boy as he and the other New Mutants arrived.

" John! David! You guys are here to stop us? Not help us?"

Sofia asked the men in disbelief.

" Of course, they are, Sofia figures. This fight has be brewing for a while. Let's do it."

Julian exclaimed.

" Julian stop! And think for a second about what you're about to do here man. I understand you want to help Kevin. Damn It I do too! But not like this. This isn't how we're supposed to go about things. As much as I wish things were simple, they aren't! If you do this, then you and the hellions are making the entire school enemies of the United States government. What do you think will happen to us? The Sentinels were bad enough already. What will happen if you make an enemy of the entire world government."

John said to the man hoping to stop him from making an idiotic decision.

" Julian please, stop. Just for once in your life stop and think about the consequences."

John begged the boy.

" You talk about me. But weren't you the one ready to fry that agent to a crisp?"

Julian asked

" Because he pointed a gun at us! He was ready to kill us! But this is different. Self-Defense is one thing. But to attack the government unprovoked is entirely different. Are you truly aware of the consequences to this?"

John asked the man again trying to get him to just stand down.

" I'm sorry John. But we're doing this."

Sofia said defiantly making John sad.

" I see. I'm sorry to hear that, Sofia."

John said to the woman.

" Let's rock Hellions."

Julian said as he attacked the new mutants.

Josh tackled Julian and punched him in the face repeatedly. Santo seeing Julian was in trouble shot his hand out to hit Josh but missed. Santo then started crying.

" Aw... No... My hand... I missed. Now, I have no hand. I don't know why -Sob- This is getting me so upset."

Santo said as he sat on the ground crying.

" Sorry, Santo. That would be me and my pheromones! No way I'm going to let you hit Josh!"

Laurie said to the rock teen.

Off to the side, John was arguing with Sofia to get her to stop.

" Sofia, what're you doing?"

John asked the woman.

" Is this going to be a lecture about me being impulsive John? About me being a bad leader?"

Sofia asked the man as she held him back with wind.

" No, Sofia. I never said you were a bad leader. Did you make mistakes yes? But so, does everyone when they first become a leader. I believed you could do it. I was willing to follow you. You're practically the heart of the team Sofia. You are important to our friends. They care about you. I care about you. And I can't let you make a mistake this deadly. Why do you think we're all here? We don't want you to get in trouble."

John explained to the woman.

" I just... I don't know what to do about Kevin! I felt as if I had to act, and no one would tell me what to do. No one except Julian."

Sofia explained to the boy as tears welled up in her eyes.

" You don't have an answer because it isn't easy to answer. The only thing we have is hope Sofia! We hope! That is all we can do. Please Sofia, don't do this."

John begged the woman. Unknown to him Brian was sneaking up behind him to attack him.

" Forget it Brian, you're not gonna tag John."

Jay said as he picked Brian up and placed him on a tree.

" You traitor!"

Brian said to the man.

" Enjoy the view!"

Jay said as he flew away from the man.

" Noriko, please I do not wish to fight you."

Sooraya said to the girl as she held her hands up.

" But you're willing to fight the F.B.I. Sooraya?"

Noriko asked the girl.

" I do not want to. But Julian is our leader."

Sooraya said in her defense.

" You wear a burqa because you're told to. You come down here because Julian told you to. Do you always do what you're told?"

Noriko asked as she attacked the woman with electricity.

Sooraya dodged the attack by turning into sand.

Back with Sofia and John Sofia finally settled down.

" So, are you with us Sofia?"

John asked the woman hoping for a yes.

" I am. But you must lead the team."

Sofia said to the man.

" Ugh! Okay! Laurie! Keep using your power to keep the big guy out of this. Sofia and Nori, you two switch targets. Nothing personal Nori, but Sofia is better suited to take Sooraya down. Nori you focus of Cessily. Her mercury body is a perfect conductor for your electricity."

John explained to the team as he gave out orders.

" Dust is removed from the fight. My wind will take her back to campus."

Sofia said as she carried Sooraya off the battlefield.

" How could you do this to us Beautiful? To me?"

Julian asked in disbelief.

" You want me to fry this creep John?"

Noriko asked the boy.

" Stay out of this. This is leader-to-leader. Now, come on lighting brat. You and me."

Julian said to the man.

" No, Julian it's you and David."

John said as he pointed to the boy behind Julian.

Julian turned around in a panic and was knocked out by David with a kick to the face.

" See, now that's what I'm talking about. A good old-fashioned Brawl. Why couldn't this be a field day exercise?"

Josh asked John as the two stood in victory.

" Field day? You kids will be lucky if you ever get outside the main building again. Everyone back to the school now."

Scott said as he, Emma, and Rahne sinclair arrived.

" Hellions, you are all in deep trouble."

Emma said to the group.

" I'm sorry. I just... My hand was gone."

Santo said in sadness.

" I sympathize with your motives. But this was disastrously stupid. Let's go."

Emma said to her Hellions.

" How did you even know we were here?"

Julian asked.

" Ugh! I hate to admit. But I called Cyclops."

John stepped forward and spoke.

" I'm sorry guys. But I couldn't risk getting into a fight with the GOD DAMN F.B.I. We got lucky today. We just put the safety of the entire school in jeopardy today."

John explained again.

" And you were right to do so. You did well to stop the Hellions. But it would have all been for nothing if you had been seen which you were seconds away from doing. You should have brought this to our attention and then stayed out of it. I know you think there's not much difference between you and the faculty. Some of us aren't that much older than you. But we have years of training. You have to leave these things to us."

Scott explained to the New Mutants.

" Uhm, I know you're on a roll Summers. But... I have just as much experience as you do. I mean I grew fighting on the streets. You might have more experience when it comes to dealing with giant killer robots. But when it comes to dealing with the law I have you outclassed son..."

John said to the man proudly.

Scott and the other teachers simply glared at the boy.

" Right. Not the time. Got it."

John said as he slowly stumbled back.

The group all turned and returned to the school where the teachers had a meeting with the two Squad leaders to discuss their punishment. The Hellions were getting severe punishment and the New Mutants were getting two weeks of detention.

" That is all you can leave Mr. Keller."

Scott said to the boy.

Julian got up in anger and slammed the door to Scott's office on the way out.

After a few seconds Dani Spoke to John.

" John, thank you for calling Scott. You made the right choice."

Dani said to the boy.

" The right choice? The right choice?! YOU DIDN'T GIVE ME A FUCKING CHOICE!"

John yelled at the woman shocking the teachers.

" Settle down Johnathan."

Scott said to the boy.

" Do you have any idea what you've done? Do you? You made me choose between helping my friend or fighting the god damn Government. What other GOD DAMN CHOICE DID I HAVE?!"

John exclaimed.

" Kevin, needed to do this right. I had no control over this situation."

Dani explained.

" But you did! YOU DID! You could have left Kevin where he was. You could have left him to himself. At least then Pierce wouldn't have been able to find him. Or barring that option you at the very least could have asked for him to be escorted off campus freely instead of chained up. But you didn't! You just stepped aside and let a member of my team getting taken like he's an animal."

John explained to the woman.

" John that's enough. This matter is being handled just settle down."

Scott said to the boy.

" Settle down?"

John asked

He looked at Scott and kicked the nearest table out of the teachers' lounge. Sending it crashing through the window.

" You don't tell me to settle down when one of mine is behind bars. I'll settle down when he's back where he belongs."

John said as he turned to leave the office.

" You know something. I wanted to believe so badly that you, all of you, were the same as the people I grew up with on the streets. Out there we watched each other's backs. And when the law or some other punks came for us, we stood together. I hoped you'd all be the same. I looked up to you. All of you. But I can see now, I was wrong. You crumbled so easily in the face of adversity. If you won't protect my teammates. Then I will."

John said as he left the teachers office, leaving the teachers stunned as he did.

' The boy has potential. His ability to rally his teammates and his ability to sway conversation in his favor makes him dangerous. Perhaps I should see if he's interested in Joining the Hellions.'

Emma thought to herself as the boy made his way to his room.

Two weeks later.

" Your honor I move to dismiss the charges."

Kevins attorney Evangeline Whedon said to the judge.

" On what grounds, Miss Whedon?"

The judge asked.

" We have already submitted testimony from experts on mutation that concludes Kevins power was uncontrollable. The investigating officer has ruled this an accidental death. Trying this boy would be punishing him for nothing more than tragically losing his father. He is best served attending a school where he can learn to control this power. The Xavier Insistitue."

Whedon concluded.

" Agent pierce, have you ruled this death accidental?"

The judge asked.

" Yes, your honor. I have."

Pierce replied.

" And does the state have anything to offer?"

The judge asked.

" In light of agent pierce's findings, the state does not oppose this motion."

The states attorney relied.

" Then your motion is granted, Miss Whedon. The charges are dismissed."

The judge stated.

" YES!"

John yelled as he jumped out of his seat.

" Sorry your honor."

John said to the woman as he slunk back down into his seat.

After the paperwork was finished, Kevin was released to Dani and Emma and was free to go.

" Agent pierce, it has never been such a pleasure to be proven wrong. Know that you always have friends at the Xavier Institute. Come, Kevin. let us go home."

Emma said to the man before taking Kevin out of the courthouse.

" Well that's gratitude for you."

Pierce said as Kevin left without saying a word.

" What did you expect? For him to be smiling in joy? She betrayed him. Whether it was for his good or not she still betrayed him."

John said to the man.

" Hey, she and I helped get him off kid so how about some gratitude?"

Pierce asked the boy.

" Oh, I'm grateful you, unlike so many of your god damned coworkers, decided to do the right thing. But let me get one thing clear agent. I don't like you. And just like Emma said you will always have friends at Xavier's know you also have one very lethal enemy."

John explained to the man.

" I was just doing my job kid."

Pierce said to the boy.

" And your job is to draw a gun on a scared teenager?"

John growled.

" I couldn't let him leave."

Pierce said to the boy.

" But there are other ways to handle a situation. We were already caught. We weren't going to fight you. But you still pulled a gun on us, and you were ready to kill us. My teachers asked me to apologize for threatening you. But that's not going to happen. But what I will do is leave you with this warning. You ever in your life point a gun at me again, and no amount of love for my friends will stop me from doing what needs to be done. Oh, and though she and I aren't on the best of terms right now Dani is still my teacher and I care about her. If you hurt her I'm coming for you."

John explained to the agent before leaving the courthouse with Emma and Kevin.

The ride back was a quiet and tense one as John simply eyed Dani out the corner of his eyes. Once the group returned to the Institute Kevin demanded to change squads.

" Are you sure about this?"

Scott asked the boy.

" Yes, Mr. Summers. I want to be a Hellion. I know it all worked out legally. But when I was in that train station, I learned who was looking out for me. And it wasn't the New Mutants. And It wasn't Miss Moonstar."

Kevin explained to the man.

" And if there's an opening, I would like to be a New Mutant."

Jay said as he too requested a squad change.

" What about you Mr. Storm? Would you like to be a Hellion as well?"

Emma asked the boy.

" You know, I thought about it a lot these past few weeks. And a part of me really wants to say yes and be done with this squad. But another part me has come to really like my squad mates. And I also made a promise to Nori that I'd always be beside her and help her with her powers. If I joined the Hellions now. I'd be breaking both of those promises. It pains me dearly to see Kevin leave the Squad. But he's right. When he was in trouble the Hellions were the ones who were willing to go against the world to help him."

John said as he got up from his chair.

" So, know this Kevin, while we won't be teammates anymore, we'll always be friends. And I promise if you need help, I'll be there for you"

John said to the boy as he held his hand out.

Kevin smiled lightly and shook John's hand.

" And you Miss Moonstar."

John called out to the woman as he turned to face.

" I believe in second chances. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt. You have lost all respect I had for you. It is easy to gain my respect, it is even easier to lose it. It is however, very difficult to gain it back. Difficult yes. But not impossible. From this day forward you have my word, that during training and classes I will give you my respect as you are still my teacher. But outside of that, until you can regain my trust, do not talk or speak to me unless it is important. Now, if there's anything else MY team is waiting for me."

John explained to the woman before leaving the office.