Panther: Revamp

Emery's Rescue

[Author's Note: Posted {3.23.2014}]

"There has to be something we can do to find her," Kurt complained. "Sitting around watching the monitor and waiting for her to use her powers is just..."

"Kurt," Rogue chastised.

"I know, but..."

"Why don't ya go downstairs and help Ororo prepare?"

"The Professor isn't letting me go on this mission."

"That doesn't mean you can't make yourself useful. Especially if you're so restless."

"Fine, fine."

There wasn't much for Kurt to do, but Ororo recognized his restlessness and set him to menial teasks to occupy his time. She and the Professor would be going to see the physicist that created the dispelling bands to talk to him. Their goal was to find our everything he knew about them and about Marcus Preed.

When the two of them arrived at the laboratory across town, the physicist was thrilled to let them in. He'd heard about Professor Xavier's more productive scientific works and was pleased to make his aquaintance. He assumed Ororo was his wife. Neither one of them told him any differently. They knew they were treading on shaky ground.

"What can you tell us about these mutant dispelling bands?" the Professor asked after formalities were over.

"My greatest invention. It will allow mutants who do wrong to be incorporated into the justice system without the prison guards fearing for their lives."

"You think all mutants will end up in prison?"

"They'll use their powers to do something against the law at some point. If they want to be treated equally so badly then they should be on equal footing with us."

"An understandable point of view," Ororo commented.

"So how do they work?"

"The bands send out electrical pulses that short circuit only the mutant genes within the mutant who is wearing it. The human geners remain unaffected. Took me twenty years to isolate that frequency."

"It is a remarkable feat," the Professor commented.

"Why thank you. Am I to assume you are here to purchase one?"

"Yes actually. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to buy quite a few. How many do you have ready right now?"

"Spectacular! I have ten made up. I just finished the last one this morning."

"We'll take them all."

Kurt found A.J. in her bedroom.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm sorry."

"I know; you're worried. And I know you want to believe Emery is being held against her will, but what if she's not? You have to look at every possibility so the truth doesn't surprise you."

"That was pretty deep for you," Kurt teased.

"You know I'm right."

"Oh, one more thing before we go," the Professor said, turning back around from his path to the door. "Do you know anyone by the name of Marcus Preed?"

The physicist nodded. "I know the bastard."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"He's the mutant that got my daughter killed, fifty years ago. He's why I started my research in the first place."