tushanshu | 10° VIDEO

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10° VIDEO

[There's a pause before Johnny's face appears on the screen, bent over to press the buttons. Once he confirms that the screen is on, he straightens and makes sure he's in frame, wearing very basic clothes.]

Aw, Reed. You shouldn't have! It's a little small, but I admit, I like what you've done with the place.

[He waits a beat, as if Reed might actually respond.]

There are two obvious possibilities for why I'm here. One, the Emperor is a crazed fan who abducted me to find out if The Torch is really as hot as they say he is – I am, by the way – or, two, I'm actually dead, they're lying to me, and I have a motorcycle and a pile of women waiting for me somewhere.

[A split-second pause.] I'll tell you what. If it's the first option? You can come find me. If it's the second, let me know and I'll come find you. Until then? This Fire Sector is like home, sweet home.

Johnny out.

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[Vic's a little surprised but he tries not to let it be too obvious.]

It's alright. We didn't get much choice in the matter. When you're a mutant, stuff comes for you whether you're a hero or not and you're lucky to make it past sixteen...

What the hell kind of a world do you live in?

[The idea of kids being terrorized, especially killed, like that makes him visibly angry. Teenagers can stand up for themselves, sure, but what if they're younger? And even Victor's just a kid, or should be. He must have started at around fourteen.]

And who's been training you?

One where people hate and fear mutants and there's plenty of people who only make that worse. Some with good intentions but bad methods and others who're just plan stupid.

[He sighs, shaking his head.]

The older X-men train us.

So you're a mutant, but you live with the regular everyday citizen and they don't like it. Trust me, I understand that. There are only four of us and we've been arrested more than once. Ben.. He looks like a giant rock thing? I think people are starting to embrace him now, but it took awhile.

[Johnny just looks at Victor, not sure what to make of him and not sure whether to pity or respect him.]

Who are the X-Men?

Most of them hate us even when we live on our own island away from them all. And just try to kill us harder. [He nods.] Yeah, we read about you guys in class back home. We got to meet Mr. Grimm too.

Mutant heroes. They protect humans and mutants alike while trying to promote peace between the two.

That explains why you've heard of us. [He flashes a grin and freezes for a split second, as if posing for a camera. Then he turns to look at the coffee, the anger at Victor's conditions waning slowly out of sheer necessity. Because Johnny knows he can't do anything about it.] But why were you living on an island? And why would you meet Ben and not me?

[He throws a smile over his shoulder, to show he's mostly kidding. Then he's turning to face the kid again, impatient for his brew to finish.]

And how's that whole peace between you two thing working out?

The fact that you're world famous superheroes is why we've heard of you. [Victor offers a smile too, chuckling slightly at the freeze when it registers with him. It was something he noticed from Iceman back home too.] Long story short? The government went into extra-stupid mode and put a lunatic super villain in charge of pretty much everything. He did the crazy super villain thing so all of us mutants left the country to live on an island off the coast of San Francisco that used to be a space station before it crashed into the ocean. And we met him because our world's version of you wasn't there at the time and it was supposed to be some thing about living with obvious physical mutations.

[He takes a deep breath when Johnny turns to face him.]

It's better now than it was before.

Why did you listen? Why didn't you fight back?

[Johnny's listening intently again, liking Victor's world less and less the more he hears about it.]

I'm glad it's better.

[Victor arches a brow.</small.] Listen to what? And we did fight back when him and his goons showed up on our island and tried to kill us all. But they ran for it when they realized that their fake hero act would be ruined if they started killing us on live TV. I am too. It's been so bad for so long...we've really needed better.

Why didn't you fight when they tried to send you to the island in the first place? [He clarifies. The coffee machine behind him beeps and Johnny starts with surprise. Then he turns and grabs a mug, listening as he pours himself some.]

We went voluntarily. If Osborn and his villain goons were going to manipulate the law to their advantage to screw us over...we went where he couldn't do it.

That's your problem. [He returns the coffee pot and turns around again, mug in hand. Johnny immediately takes a sip, then uses the mug to vaguely point at him.]

It's easier for people to treat you poorly when they forget you exist or when you aren't human. You have to show them who you are for them to care.

[Victor shakes his head.]

Staying wasn't a fight we could win. We made sure people knew about it all though. The raising of the island out of the ocean and the big fight that followed were all broadcast on national TV.

So what happened? Where were you before you got here?

[Victor takes a deep breath.]

Well...things went well enough. We go away from Osborn and his nutjob crew. Eventually things imploded for him and the country started getting better. We all stayed on the island, made it the mutant nation. The same stuff that attacked us everywhere else attacked us there.

Eventually it came down to an argument between two of the people in charge about how my class was being treated as cannon fodder. And after an attack by a giant robot designed specifically to hunt and kill mutants, the whole place split. Half stayed, and half of us went back to Westchester county to start up a school for mutants. That's where I was before I ended up here on the turtle.

Your class? [Johnny looks confused. It's a lot to take in given where he comes from, where their own abilities were met with fear at first but then quickly accepted. Even Ben has his own following.] And who was in charge of the school?

Before we ended up in San Francisco, we were at a school. The Xavier Institute. A school for mutants.

The headmaster and headmistress were Scott Summers and Emma Frost. Otherwise known as Cyclops and the White Queen.

How many of you were there? Mutants.

[He takes a sip of his coffee, but he's definitely more interested in Victor than his drink now.]

[Victor falls silent for a few moments. Looking down, he frowns deeply.]

Originally there were thousands of us. Even more. We were...thriving. Then M-Day happened and...the estimates were that there were about 300 mutants left with only about 198 being known.

I'm sorry.

[And he means it. Johnny's quiet for a few seconds, still watching Victor.]

At least you're here now. There has to be something here that can help.

Thanks.

[Victor shakes his head a little.]

I really doubt there's anything here on the turtle that could help fix that problem back home. New mutants are finally starting to emerge but it's slow going.

We'll find people who can train you.

[Johnny's fairly out of his element here, but he wants to help and he offers all he can think of as an inadequate way to do what he can.]

[Vic arches both brows at that.]

Train me in what, exactly? I'm not turning down a chance to learn or get better but I'm not some rookie or newbie.

Train you in diplomacy or camouflage or.. I don't know.

[Johnny throws his free hand up in the air in frustration. He sets his coffee mug aside and leans back on the counter as he watches Victor.]

I have no idea. But we'll figure out someway to help you before you go back, so you can help them.

[Victor smiles a bit.]

I'm pretty good in both of those, actually.

Thanks, though. It's good to hear that someone wants to help out.

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