Chapter Text
"What even goes on in that small brain of yours?!"
That's not the first time Todd Tolanski has been asked that. Not by a long shot. And certainly not by the person currently scolding him.
"Easy Lance. Mind yer blood pressure," Todd teases.
"TODD!" Lance growls out.
Todd gulps when the house starts shaking. Apparently Lance is really in a foul mood. "Okay, okay, I'm listening. Stop shaking the house already."
Thankfully the house does stop shaking. Better yet, Lance slumps down in the seat across from him. "Todd...it's getting bad out there. You know this," Lance tells him.
Todd sighs and looks away. He knows what Lance is talking about. The attacks against mutants. There seems to be a lot of them. He has seen the reports on the covers of newspapers. And when they can get the news on the tv, he could swear that is all they are reporting these days. It had been pretty bad but the Brotherhood had been unconcerned until four days ago. That is when the first report of mutant casualties had been reported. Two poor guys had been attack when they were alone. Both died in the hospital. Neither were over the age of eighteen. After that, Lance had put down some new rules.
Rules that Todd had been caught ignoring.
"Yeah Lance, I know," Todd replies.
"None of us should be out on the streets at night, Todd. Specially not alone."
"No. What you mean is I ain't suppose to be out on the streets alone. Pietro, Freddie, even you can. No one would be that stupid to take you guys on. And if they are, you can handle it. Tell the truth Lance. These rules of yours...they are only for me," Todd challenges. He's had this sneaky suspicion about this the second Lance told them these new rules.
"None of us want to see you in the hospital Todd," Lance replies evenly.
A sad smile form's on Todd's face. So he had been right. Yet knowing that didn't change the fact that they still suck. "What's wrong Lance? Afraid I'll up and disappear? Or that you'll hear my name on the news? See this face on the paper? Don't worry, I doubt they'll waste the ink," he tells Lance as he gets up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Lance questions.
"Figured I'd save ya the trouble and send myself to my room. Is that alright mother?" Todd replies, stretching the last word out. He knows Lance hates being called that. Which is why Todd does it as often as he can.
Hearing the thud on the table stops him in his tracks. Curiously he turns and spots a small box on the table. He moves closer to it.
"It's a cell phone Todd, not some UFO," Lance grumbles.
"I can see that," he mutters, "Tired of Pietro listening in on your little lovey -dovey chats with Kitty?"
"It's not for me. It's for you," Lance tells him as he runs a hand through his hair. "Since you won't listen, I decided to at least do something to take the stress out of all this. That cost me four dates by the way."
"Like ya really wanted to see that Twilight movie anyway," Todd jokes. His eyes are glued on the box. Lance got him a cell phone. Him. Todd Tolanski. Toad. Who in their right mind would trust him with a cell phone?
"It doesn't bite. And I told Pietro no when he offered to put a taser on it," Lance teases, showing that his earlier rage had died down.
"Bite me," Todd mutters as he takes the box and opens it, pulling out the silver cell phone.
"It's already got our phone number in it. All you have to do is the pound button, then one, then call and it will call here if you need to. Even you can't screw that up."
"Wouldn't bet on it," a third voice is heard before a sudden breeze fills the room.
When it vanishes, Todd finds the cell gone from his hand. "Hey Tro! Bring that back here!" Todd shouts as he gets up to hop after the speed demon.
Pietro however is already in his room. In one hand he has Todd's cell, the other a flashy pink cell phone. He opens the list of contacts and quickly goes through them. "Nope, no, no, funny but no...here we go," he says with a grin. He adds the number to Todd's cell, changing the speed dial number. With a grin that would make the Grinch envious, he tosses the pink cell in Lance's room and runs back down to the kitchen.
"What's wrong Todd? Lost something already?" He teases, holding out the cell phone.
"Give that back," Todd growls out as he reaches for the cell.
"Hmm...I think I'd rather see you try to take it from me," Pietro replies, dangling the phone above Todd's head, pulling it out of his range when Todd tries to go for it.
"Tro...try not to break it before he does," Lance mutters as he gets up and leaves the kitchen.
"Why does...everyone...think I'm going to break it!" Todd cries out as he finally manages to grab the cell phone back.
"Because we know you so well," Pietro replies before walking away, his smile widening at the image of Todd dialing that particular number. He can't wait for the fireworks to start.
Later that evening, Todd is leaving the boardinghouse and making his way to one of his favorite hangouts. Tonight he has decided to go hang out at the wooded park on the other side of town. Been a while since he had been there. Actually, as he thinks about it, he hadn't been there since he and the gang along with the X-creeps were running from some nasty folks with guns. Where he got to see his lady in red in action. Good times.
After a while, it comes into view. His fingers dig into his pocket and feels the new cell phone. Before he left, he had thought about leaving it behind just to rile Lance up again. But the idea of having a breakfast without an added serving of Lance's lectures sounded too good so he brought it. He's actually glad he did since he is on the other side of Bayville.
Soon he is strolling along in the deep shadows of the trees. Enjoying the relative peace and quiet. He breathes in the natural air. For some reason, he is always drawn to these kinds of places. Despite being raised as a city kiddie, he loves the woods. There's only one thing that he loves more and that's the water. Still, woods is good.
He stops under a large cherry tree and sits down on one of exposed roots. He kicks off his shoes and dirty socks. Once free, he digs his toes into the earth. Then he decides to lay down, not caring about the dirt, twigs and leaves, or anything else that most likely end up on his back or in his hair.
It feels good to him. This is something the boardinghouse can't give him. The sense of being almost in his natural state. Where his surroundings seem to fit him as well as accept him as he is. Here he isn't a mutant. He isn't human. He's just him. There are no expectations. No X-men. No Magneto. No nothing...
At least until he hears the the sounds of small engines. He sits up, suddenly alarmed as the noises grow louder. He grabs his shoes, slipping them on. His socks forgotten. But before he can hop away, he see's the several pairs of headlight beams. They seem to surround him. He's tarts to move up the tree as the lights train on his location.
He settles himself on one of the branches as men start to laugh and shout as the engines turn off. A radio begins to blast some rock music. He hears cans being opened. And he listens to the voices.
"Man, what a good night!"
"That so rocked!"
"Who says you can't have fun on a Tuesday night?"
"Not us!"
Todd rolls his eyes. So much for peace and quiet. He slowly moves around the tree, slinking around the branches, looking for one that can get him to the next tree without making these losers aware of his presence. But he stops cold when he hears the next bit of conversation.
"Man, Eddie, that mutie could run!"
"Didn't do him no good though, did it?"
"Remember how it begged us to let him go?"
"Pleaz sirs, don't hurt me! I won't come out no more!"
"Yeah, and boy did we make sure he won't walk the streets anymore!"
"I doubt he can walk! Specially the way it's legs went crack when Vinny hit me with the bat."
"Oh that was priceless!"
Todd feels his body go cold. These guys...could these guys be the ones behind all the mutant attacks? They are saying they just finished with one. Did he live? Todd knows he needs to get out of there. Get far away from these creeps and call Lance to come get him.
He moves out along a branch, ready to hop towards another tree when he hears the branch splintering beneath his weight. He quickly reaches up, grabbing the branch above his head as the branch beneath his feet snaps off. He listens to it fall.
"Watch out!"
"What the hell?!
"Someone there?"
To Todd's horror, several flashlights turn on and start searching the tree. They land on him as he pulls himself up on the branch.
"Look what we got here boys!"
"Looks like some punk out past curfew."
"Ain't no punk. Look at him. He's one of them muties!"
"You sure Doug?"
"Let's get him down here and we can find out!"
Todd raises his hand to cover his eyes from the flash lights. So he doesn't see the rocks and pop cans flying towards him. After the first few hits, he tries to swat the things away. But one fairly good size stone hits him in the back of the knee, unbalancing him.
He scrambles to recover himself. But another rock smashes into his hand just when he gets a grip on the branch and ends up falling out of the tree. When he hits the ground, the wind is knocked out of him. Still, he forces himself to get up, looking around at the men that are now circling him, the flashlights shone into his face.
"So muties live in trees now, huh?"
"Maybe this one thinks he's Tarzan or something."
"Don't matter what he thinks. What I think is that that mutie we played with earlier must be lonely by now. So why don't we send this one to th hospital too?"
"Heh, yeah, maybe they will share a room."
Todd does his best to glare at them. He see's a few go to their four wheelers as the others try to move closer. He needs to get out of there and needs to do so now. So he does what comes natural. He spits in the faces of the two closest and as they back away, screaming at the slime on their faces. Not wasting a second he hops through the opening they give him and keeps on hopping.
Soon he is hopping from tree to tree in an attempt to shake them. He doesn't think it's working. He hears the engines reeve up, knowing that some of them have decided to add the four wheelers to the chase. Not good. When he thinks he has created a bit of distance, he quickly digs out his new cell. If there was ever a time he needed the Brotherhood, it was now.
He follows Lance's instructions and peers around the tree as he listens to the phone ring on the other side. As soon as he hears it being picked up, he starts talking. "Hey! I need some help! I'm at the woods at the far right side of town. Where we were when the X-geek's place blew. I'm getting chased by those crazies that have been..." He is interrupted when he peers to the right, only to have something smash into his back, knocking him to the ground, causing him to drop his phone.
He watches as a few of the men step out from around the tree. One of the men pick up the cell phone and puts it to his ear.
"Sorry but your buddy won't be able to come out and play. He's going to be tied up for the next few days," the man says into the phone before dropping it and stomping on it.
At the Xavier's institute for gifted children, Kurt Wagner is sitting at his desk, staring at his cell phone. He had just received the strangest call.
"Todd?"