The X-Project

After the previous night's somewhat volatile talk with Nathan, Haller has a mercifully quiet encounter with one of the staff members least likely to compound emotional trauma.




He was still a little shakey after last night, which meant now probably wasn't the best time for the serious discussion of a team-position Jim had originally been thinking of, but he needed something to take his mind off things. He supposed he could do worse than seek out Ororo for a slightly less tense introduction. He'd heard she frequented the attic, but he wasn't altogether sure she was there at the moment. Still, it would give him something to do.

As he mounted the steps to the attic Jim risked lowering his shields just enough to get a sense of whether or not the greenhouse was inhabited. It was, but the psi-print wasn't one he recognized. He didn't even know Ororo's yet. With a faint grimace, Jim shook his head slightly. He needed to work on that. Withdrawing again behind his shields, he reached the top of the stairs and settled for calling out, "Hello?"

Kurt, wandering the rows of the greenhouse as he so often did, backtracked and made his way towards the door. "Hello."

A physical mutation, but not the most drastic Jim had ever seen. Jim smiled a little. "Kurt Wagner?" he hazarded. Sometimes there were benefits to a distinct appearance.

"Indeed. And you are our newest arrival - Haller?" He smiled, offering a hand.

Jim accepted the three-fingered hand without hesitation. The grip was rough, but warm. "David's fine," he said, falling back to his default. He was still having misgivings about what he'd told Nathan, but for now he wasn't going to worry about it. "Sorry, I can't remember what you teach."

"David, then. And I teach mainly dance, a little fencing to those who are interested, and German."

The younger man grinned. "You and Alison both teach dance? Charles is certainly devoted to a well-rounded curriculum. Although I suppose the extra coordination helps mitigate some of the property damage."

"It is a popular course", Kurt said with a grin. "I have done an elective circus skills class once or twice in the past, as well."

"Circus skills?"

"I was a circus performer in the time before I came to the mansion. In Germany."

Jim nodded. The accent was familiar, at any rate. "In that case, you're probably the best-prepared staffer in the school."

"For the subjects I teach, yes. Well-prepared, in any case, though perhaps not the best."

"I sympathize. My last job involved various mental institutions." Jim stuck his hands in his pockets and glanced around the greenhouse, a little impressed by the sheer size of the place. "I've never been in here before. Ororo must've been working on it for years."

"It is her personal project, I believe. For relaxation. Although other people have things growing in here as well."

"Is that how she manages it? Maybe Scott should take up gardening." Jim turned back to Kurt and smiled. "Uh, Scott seems a little stressed."

"He almost always does. It comes with the position."

"I think the problem is that he seems to be caught between several. I'm hoping I can help simply by doing the job I'm supposed to be doing." Jim shook his head. "Anyway. How did you come to know Charles?"

"I met him some two years ago. Just following what some of the children call the Great Mutant Headache."

Jim winced. "I remember that. Did you seek, or were you referred . . ?"

"Referred, in a sense. I suppose you heard about the attempt on the President's life?"

"Yes." Even Scotland had seen an anti-mutant backlash from that one. A few idiots had even tried to interfere with the regular shipments of supplies to Muir.

"That... was me. I was not entirely in my right mind at the time, thanks to a man named Stryker."

Jim blinked at the man, unable to imagine the soft-spoken Bavarian staging an attempt on anyone's life, let alone a political assassination. He remembered his manners and pushed aside the shock. "You were . . . controlled?" From his words and what Jim had seen so far, that seemed to be the only alternative.

"Yes. He had some kind of serum that allowed him to control the actions of anyone dosed with it. It appears my use in his eyes was to persuade the President to go along with his plans."

There was no harshess in his voice, and that alone was remarkable. Kurt seemed . . . all right. Not happy about it, not by any means, but at peace. This wasn't a wound that needed to be reopened. Instead, Jim only said, "I'm glad he failed."

"As am I. He died when his base fell."

"I can't say I'm sorry to hear that." He was too drained from the night before to take it any further than that. Jim forced a smile and said, "But I suppose it wasn't all bad -- it brought you here. I assume you wouldn't have stayed if you didn't get something out of working with the destructive little darlings."

Kurt's smile was far more genuine. "I get more satisfaction of the kind I find working here than I ever did in my life before, as much as I loved it and still do. I will not say I have not been tempted to return to my old life, but... it passes."

Jim grinned. "I guess when it comes down to it it's still entertaining kids. Just with fewer clowns and more mandatory progress reports."

"Exactly. And the students we have here are almost all a pleasure to work with."

"Yeah. Scott's dire warnings to the contrary, they've been surprisingly gentle so far. Or they're simply laying in wait." Jim's smile went lopsided. "Speaking of which, I think I need to find the asprin before I head back to my office for the day. But it was a pleasure to meet you, Kurt."

"Likewise. I hope we can talk again soon."

"I'm sure we'll find the opportunity."