An Educational Opportunity
Summary: On a trip to NYC, the X-Men find a few new possible students.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or X-Men, The Amazing Spiderman, or anything else in the Marvel Comics universe that might be referenced.
There was a science symposium on medical ethics and recent findings that Professor Charles Xavier and Dr. McCoy attended in the Jacob Javits Center, considering they both were panelists. Logan went along with them. He wasn't at all sure if he was interested in the topics (though he did listen in on the professor and Dr. McCoy's panel discussions), but it was a school day. Most of the X-Men who would usually come along as a security detail were back in Westchester, teaching. Besides… there was always something interesting and new to discover in New York City.
The conference had finished, and the three of them left the building for their jet, but the street and sidewalk was littered with hundreds of metal bodies in various states of destruction. A major battle involving these robots had taken place, but what happened to them?
Logan spotted the crown of a green head disappearing into an open manhole. "What was that?"
Charles smiled warmly. "I do believe you have spotted some Mutants."
Dr. McCoy asked, "Why would they head to the sewers? There are any number of places they could go."
Professor Xavier sighed sadly. "They don't know that there's somewhere they can go."
Wolverine said, "They? How many of them are there?" He lost patience. "Never mind. I'll follow them." With that, he disappeared down the manhole.
The Turtles were tired. While the Foot-bots were easy, in theory, to defeat, the fact was that this was more of them than they've seen in quite a long time.
"What was Shredder thinking?" Donatello asked. "He attacked a convention hall while a convention was on."
"It had to be strategically relevant in some way. Maybe someone was speaking he didn't want heard, or maybe someone had something he could have desired," Leonardo mused.
Raphael sneered, "It was on medical ethics; it helps to read the papers. Why could Shredder want to mess with scientists and doctors talking about why he shouldn't make more Mutants, or something?"
Michelangelo shrugged. "Look – who cares? We won. Let's go home and celebrate."
They walked in silence on their way back home. Even Michelangelo's great mood was subdued because of exhaustion. In a tunnel about four blocks away from home, they turned a corner to face Bebop and Rocksteady.
"We got ya where we want ya," Bebop taunted.
Raphael spat, "And where is that?"
"Tired and weak, and away from help," Rocksteady supplied. He decided they had enough talking. With a nudge of an elbow, they started shooting their blasters in concert. They'd been working to improve their aim, but those darned Turtles moved too fast!
It looked like a complicated dance, as all four terrapins avoided getting hit, ducking, rolling, and otherwise sidestepping the blasts.
Leonardo panted, "What is Shredder after this time?" as he ducked out of the way again.
Rocksteady stopped shooting and answered, "Isn't it obvious? He just wants you guys. He figured you'd come to save all those people. He doesn't care about them. The idea was to tire you out, capture you, and bring you in."
Bebop, not to be outdone, said, "Yeah. And if you're beat up and worse for the wear, that's bonus for us."
Taking advantage of the lack of firearms aimed at them, Raphael threw his sai at the blasters, destroying them from the angle they hit. The look of surprise on the faces of the henchmen ended when Michelangelo and Donatello knocked them out with blows to the head. Leonardo and Raphael bound Bebop and Rocksteady's hands and feet with leftover extension cords and helped carry them over to an empty supply closet that was due for inspection in a couple of days.
"Now that that's been taken care of," Raphael said, "I wonder what other Mutants Shredder will throw at us." Whatever else he intended to say was lost as a strange man with blades extended like claws showed up. "You have got to be kidding me."
Wolverine dropped down into the sewer's depths. 'Interesting smell. Typical teenage pheromones, battle sweat, and… that can't be right.' Why would he smell turtles, of all things?
He ran down the tunnels, following the scent, and heard blasters. What idiot would use a firearm in an enclosed place like a sewer tunnel? Extending his claws, he ran even faster to help whoever was in trouble.
On the way, he saw guns that weren't to be believed with blades through the laser mechanism. Maybe 300 feet beyond that were four shadowed characters, two bent over and breathing hard, one turned a key in a lock, and one dusted off his hands.
"Now that that's been taken care of, I wonder what other Mutants Shredder will throw at us," a teenage voice called. Logan took umbrage. There was no call for that kind of language. The kid with the mouth came back into the light, presumably to collect the blades, and then the kid caught sight of him. "You have got to be kidding me."
Logan peaked his eyebrows as he saw four (presumably) mutant turtles, eyeing his blades wearily and warily.
Raphael, whose sai were two feet to the left of this guy threw his hands up. "Can't you give us a break? Between all those Foot-bots outside Jacob Javits, and Bebop and Rocksteady, what does Shredder want from us?"
Michelangelo piped up, "It isn't very sporting to waste us when we can barely catch our breaths."
Logan didn't know who this 'Shredder' character was, but if these kids had the right of it, they weren't the enemy. Neither was he. He retracted his blades. "I'm not here to 'waste you,' and I have no idea who this 'Shredder' person is, though he sounds like quite a piece of work."
Donatello's eyes went wide at the retraction. "Can you give us a moment? I'd like a second to discuss something with my brothers, if you don't mind."
Considering the fact that he chased down these Mutants in the hopes of possibly bringing them to the school, if it seemed the thing to do, and he came at them looking like an enemy after they've had a hard day, Logan decided that a bit of comfort was worth the effort. "Go ahead."
The four Turtles pulled into a huddle. "Dude, he's got blades on his wrists, like the Shredder. That's not cool," protested Michelangelo.
"You noticed?" Raphael sneered.
Donatello said, "No, guys, not like the Shredder."
The other three chorused, "What?"
"Listen to me. Whatever tech Shredder has on his person looks like those blades, and while I don't get the physics of how they work, they retract into a metal armband around his wrists. This guy isn't wearing metal armbands."
Leonardo asked, "So what are you saying?"
Donatello shivered. "Those blades disappeared into the dude's skin. I think… he's a Mutant, too."
"But he said he doesn't even know who Shredder is," Leonardo countered.
Donatello shrugged as far as the huddle allowed. "Who says that Shredder has a monopoly on Mutants? I say we ask this guy what he wants."
The other three looked at him for a moment, as they considered his words. Leonardo said, "Fine. Let's go."
The four Turtles settled themselves in a semicircle in front of the stranger. Leonardo asked, "So, who are you, and why are you here?"
The stranger cleared his throat. "My name is Logan. Why I'm here will take a bit of explanation. I'll get to that in a moment. But I'm not here to hurt you kids."
Interesting. This guy didn't call them freaks, or turtles, or anything that referenced anything about them besides their age.
Donatello asked, "Where are you from?"
"Most recently, I'm from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The headmaster and one of the premier scientists on campus were among the panelists at the convention in Jacob Javits." He cocked his head to the side. "Do you guys have special Mutant powers?"
Donatello burst. "Special powers? We wish. No, we don't have special powers! Any 'power' we have is because we trained hard to get it. We're ninjas, and while that's super-cool, we've worked hard every single day…"
Michelangelo broke in, "Well, not every day…" Raphael smacked him in the back of the head.
Logan smiled at their antics. Leonardo shook his head. "He's right, though. We have worked very hard to get to where we are today. You might say our senses are heightened, and we're more agile and limber than average humans, but that's because Sensei started training us from when we were little."
Interesting. While they were clearly not human, but were mostly humanoid, they thought of themselves as mostly human. "What are your names?"
Leonardo introduced them. "I'm Leonardo, and that's Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo." They waved as their names were mentioned.
Logan smiled again. "Renaissance artists, huh?"
Donatello shrugged. "Sensei had a thing for art. He still might, but he hasn't had much of an opportunity to gallery-hop."
"But he catches what he can on the right programs on television," Michelangelo confided.
"Is he a Mutant, too?" Logan's eyes widened as the teens glared at him.
Raphael crossed his arms. "Why do you want to know?"
"It was just a question. I don't want to hurt your Sensei, either."
Raphael was feeling more surly then usual. "Why should we trust you?"
"Well… Raphael, right?" The kid nodded. "If I meant any harm to you or your beloved mentor, I would have made a move while you were too tired to defend yourselves, or tried to trick you into leading me to him before you understood my motives," Logan explained reasonably.
A burst of inspiration came to Logan. He walked over to the blasters, pulled out the sai, flipped them around and handed them handle first to Raphael. Taking a wild guess, he said, "I believe these belong to you."
Raphael took them, giving Logan a sidelong glance. "Thanks."
Leonardo decided that a person who intended them harm would not willingly return a ninja's weapons, especially not with the blades pointing at himself. No one was that stupid. Guardedly, Leonardo said, "In answer to your question, Logan, yes he is."
Okay. This was good. He established a tentative bond of trust with these kids. Admittedly, Scott was much better at this, but he was the one available. "So, what are your thoughts on 'average humans,' as you put it?"
At this, the dam burst, and all four started talking at once. Logan waved both hands and said, "Quiet! One at a time."
They looked at each other, blushed, and looked back at Logan. "This has been a topic of discussion that comes up frequently, but never gets resolved," Leonardo offered by way of explanation.
Raphael threw up his hands. "What's to resolve? Most of the crime, the trouble, the grief that happens top-side is all human-based. They cause it, they deal with it, and when we come to save them from some of it, they hate us for it. Well, not for the help, but they don't see us as heroes who saved them. No, they see us as freaks. And they hate us."
Michelangelo put in, "We have to wear heavy disguises just to order pizza. It gets crazy, sometimes."
Donatello objected, "Hey – they're not all bad. Don't forget April."
Raphael's red bandana crinkled where his eyebrows should be. "Yeah. And her boss has it in for us as much as Jameson has it in for Spiderman. It's all over the Bugle."
Leonardo sighed. "They just don't understand. People are frightened of what they don't understand."
Michelangelo sighed with the weight of his own thoughts. "Dude, what I wouldn't give to just be treated normal. There was that one time I ran into that mutagen that turned me into an average human for a short time. But… maybe I just hung out with the wrong crowd. I don't know. It didn't work out. It still would be nice to be treated like real people, instead of…" He shrugged.
The other three nodded. This was something they've thought over countless times.
Logan looked at them. "How would you like to go to a school where you would be treated 'like normal people'?"
Raphael scowled. "Didn't we just explain why that can't happen? Besides, we already have an excellent teacher." Leonardo put a hand on his shoulder. It was always a special moment when Raphael said something that showed his strong allegiance to Master Splinter. He always had it – that went without saying. But mentioning it was another thing, altogether.
Logan clarified, "I'm sure you do. That was never the question. Xavier's School is specifically for Mutants. Every last one of us."
Even Donatello looked askance. "We aren't even human."
Logan shrugged. "And Dr. McCoy looks like a beast. He's blue. And furry."
This set the Turtles thinking. That might be interesting. "You mentioned something about special powers," Leonardo pointed out. "We don't have any. Would we be singled out for being different?"
"Yet again?" Raphael added.
Logan thought for a moment. "No. One girl, who likes to be known as Rogue, is not at all thrilled with her power. She lives like 'an average human.' There's one kid who has wings. No one cares, but when he's got spare time, he likes to go outside and fly. I see no reason why you – if you choose to come and be students – can't learn like the others, keep up with your training, or whatever it is your Sensei has you do, and maintain your hobbies, or whatever it is you like to do."
Donatello said, "But what about the City? Shredder gets into all kinds of trouble, and the Turtelli brothers, and…"
"Hold on now! I appreciate the fact that you are heroes, and that you do good things for this City. You aren't the first to come up with the notion that 'With great power comes great responsibility.' I know that. You know that. And I'm sure even your Sensei knows that. But the fact remains that you are only kids, and you should be in school."
The Turtles fell silent. That was part of the crux of the matter. If they were like normal teenagers, they wouldn't be able to be heroes. Well, right now. It kind of threw the problem back into sharp relief. Donatello finally said, "I think we need to talk to Master Splinter about this." They all nodded. They most certainly did need to talk about this.
"Speaking of," Raphael said, "what is he supposed to do while we're off, away at this school?"
Logan chuckled. "He'll be right with you. We're not looking to replace your long time teacher and master. He'll always be your Sensei. What I am suggesting is a little socialization with people you might relate to."
Michelangelo shrugged. "You know, until now, we've only talked about how this will be good for us. We didn't think about how this might be good for Master Splinter."
All eyes focused on him. "Master Splinter wasn't always a Mutant. Hamato Yoshi was a master of Ninjutsu in Japan. And yeah, while he's always got us, I'm sure he misses adult human contact. You know April O'Neil is always there, but she's busy. Heaven knows she's got things to do and places to be when we're not hanging out or saving her. Casey Jones is a nut job, and doesn't really count. But… maybe Master Splinter would appreciate hanging out with adults on a more regular basis. You know, the teachers and staff."
Leonardo threw an arm around his shoulders. "That was insightful, Mike. Let's go. I think the five of us need to talk with Master Splinter."
"Ah, my sons! You have returned. And who is this?"
Leonardo said, "Master, we have brought you a school recruiter, Logan."
Logan took a moment to assimilate his new circumstances. The Turtles' Sensei was not just a Mutant. He was a human-sized rat. Logan raised his eyebrows.
This was a little beyond his experience. He himself was Wolverine. There was Sabertooth. There was Toad. There were any number of Mutants he knew, worked with, and fought against. But all of them were fundamentally human. The Turtles were humanoid in just about every way. (Their heads retracting into their shells was a neat feature.) But this Splinter, this Sensei, this Hamato Yoshi was a human-sized rat, with a human mind.
More to the point, if the kids were to be believed, he started life as a highly gifted, talented Normal. He wasn't born with his mutation, but it was created many years later. Why was Logan having such problems with this?
He shook himself out of the moment. "Good afternoon, Mr. …" Okay. Did he refer to him by his human name or his Mutant name?
"Splinter will do for now, Logan. Please have a seat." Logan found one, and Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael found seats or places to stand - quiet, out of the way, but ready for anything at a moment's notice.
Donatello ran to the kitchen to prepare tea. He could tell this was going to be a long conversation.
Bemused, Logan hated that he found himself tongue-tied. Splinter saw that his guest was discomforted. He sighed. "I see you have met my sons."
Thankful for a starter for this conversation, Logan jumped on it. "Yes, I have. They are exceptionally skilled, and appeared to have pulled themselves out of a few rather tight spots today. I'd say you've trained them well."
"Thank you for your kind words. They are exceptional students. What brings you here today?"
The professor was so much better at this! Right, then. "Your… sons caught my eye as they exited the scene of an intense battle that they won. The headmaster Professor Charles Xavier suggested that they'd be great candidates to come to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."
Splinter frowned. Logan was shocked to see such an expression on a rat's face. This made him think, 'That's the last time I'll use the expression "rat-faced".'
"I've home schooled my sons. What makes them such good candidates for your school?"
There was no sense in mincing words. Logan was pretty sure the rat didn't have the professor's mind reading skills, but the piercing gaze made him wonder. Logan cleared his throat. "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was created with the interests of Mutants in mind. There are students of all ages, with academic strengths in all fields. And while I'm sure you are an excellent teacher, I'm also sure that your sons could stand to have a few friends their own age. All of the students have their own strengths, weaknesses, and special talents. They'll have peers they can relate to, and it would be an honor for you to come and continue the specialized training you already give them."
"I… don't know." Donatello returned, and poured tea for both Logan and Splinter. "My beloved sons, you have spoken with this man. What do you say?"
Concentration stole over all of them. Each of them had their own concerns. Leonardo spoke first. "This will be a major change. We all have our routines, our ways… I guess… Operating around more regimented study times would only be another discipline." He looked to his Sensei. "I think we can do this."
Raphael cocked his head. "I don't know. I noticed how you looked at Master Splinter, Logan. You said that everyone in your school is different. But we seem to be more different than most. I'm not sure how I feel about that. And I don't know whether you are a teacher or not. But if a teacher, or whatever you are, has problems dealing with… whatever you're having problems with, how are the kids going to be any better?"
It was a valid point. "Kids will be kids. Some students are nice, some are mean. Some will use their powers for mischief, but most of them are good kids, happy to have a place to belong.
"Interestingly, all of you have what appears to be a functional, loving family. Many of the kids have a weird reception at home. Very few have what you have. Some kids have been rejected completely for being a Mutant, some have parents who want them to 'just be normal.' Some are rejected by parts of their family, and some have no families at all. Coming from that perspective, the five of you will probably be the most normal people there."
Raphael was taken aback.
Donatello asked, "What will this place be like?"
Logan smiled. "The school is in a mansion in Westchester. The grounds are extensive and ripe for exploring. The research labs are filled with experiments of both students and faculty."
"Here, I have my own workshop. What can I expect there?"
"I don't see why something like that wouldn't be available. And you will have fellow enthusiasts and professors to offer input and otherwise share ideas."
Michelangelo thought for a moment. "Would we be able to write our friends? I mean, we do have some friends here, and I wouldn't want to lose them."
"Of course you can. You can write, you can call. It's a school, not a prison. Sometimes we have field trips. This wasn't one of them, but…"
"But what if our friends need help?" Michelangelo pleaded. "We've always been there to help when we were needed."
Inwardly, Logan sighed. Sometimes there was just no dealing with heroes. "I imagine if you got permission from your Sensei and other teachers, you might not only be able to go, you might even get the help of back-up."
"And… Leonardo will still lead us, right?"
Splinter understood his son's worry. "Michelangelo, come." He came closer, and knelt in front of Splinter, who took his hand. "Listen, my son. If we go, we will go as a family. You will still be who you are. That will not change. Our location will change. Our situation will change. And perhaps even we may change. But who you are will not change."
Michelangelo looked around the room. His brothers smiled and gave him encouraging nods. "If you're sure…" Splinter nodded and patted his hand. "Then this will be totally awesome! I mean, we'll have buddies to skateboard with, and experiment with cooking, and all kinds of things." His eyes shone with excitement.
Splinter looked at Logan. "Then I think you have your answer. We are coming."
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