StrangerSubscriberNov 16, 2020#5,627Sunshine Superman - Meet The Public Part 2
There's an awkward silence over the group at first, a reluctance to be the first to ask anything. The exciter chatter of the children around Hulk carry over us, and further beyond, I can hear the crowd that have gathered around the other Avengers some distance away. Finally, the man who brought the first girl over breaks the silence.
"The news were saying... well, they didn't explain things very well. Or maybe they did, and I just didn't understand them. What ARE mutants, exactly?"
How to put this... "You'd need to ask a biologist or a geneticist if you want the whole story, I don't have the education for either, but in laymans terms? A human mutant, or atleast the kind of mutant that we're refering to now, is a person who's genetic makeup was changed during conception and development, causing them to be born with a superhuman trait, instead of just inheriting their parents genetics. We're not a new species, nor are we somehow here to take over the world, no matter what you might hear from more paranoid circles." I hold up my hand and channel a small amount of energy into it, causing the tips of my fingers to light up with sunlight. "As you probably already know, my particular mutation revolves around storing and channeling sunlight, but this kind of mutation can essentially manifest as almost anything. They also don't usually kick in until puberty for some reason."
The adults stare transfixed at the glow, a look of discomfort flashing over the faces of a few of them. I shift my focus, allowing the energy to drain into the palm of my hand, morphing it into a small ball of light before I let it absorb back into my skin, before patting my hands together like I'm dusting something off "But yeah, that's the absolute basics, you'd need to ask an expert if you want any real detail. Anything else?"
They look at eachother, and then the woman from earlier speaks "That awful Magneto person, I heard that he wanted to take over the whole world, that he thought mutants were going to kill everyone who wasn't one, because mutants were... superior. Better than normal humans. Is that true?"
And there it is. The question on everyone's minds. Are the mutants coming to replace us? Or enslave us? Because they can, and no one can stop them. This is a world where the Holocaust is still a fresh wound rather than a distant memory of an all-too real nightmare. Where segregation is still alive and well, and the American South is even more of a living hell than it was in my own time. Where actual fucking lynching was seen as a useful tool to keep black citizens "in their place", or just kill them for the hell of it, because who's going to stop it?
And it's going to get worse before it gets better. They did teach us about the American Civil Rights movement in high school, but that was almost a lifetime ago, and while I do remember parts of it, that is mostly just the really historic stuff. The Civil Rights act, the Million Man March, Reverend King, those three kids the Klan murdered down in Mississippi... but the actual foundations of it, the hard work that made any of it possible? It's mostly a blur, and I barely even know where to start.
So I can imagine, when some asshole shows up on TV, someone who can literally crush cars just by thinking it really hard, and proclaims himself the superman, and everyone who isn't him are less than worms, it strikes a nerve with everyone. With the white majority, because it scares them shitless that there's someone stronger than them, and they fear being treated the same way they treated others for so long, and with everyone else, who only see an even worse tormentor than the ones they already had to deal with their whole lives.
"If you mean if that was Magneto's whole plan, then yes, that's true. Because Magneto is a goddamn lunatic racist who doesn't understand that not everyone is as crazy as he is. If you're asking me that mutants are here to wipe out humanity..." I shake my head "I get it, there are people being born with abilities the rest of you don't have, powers you don't even understand, and it scares you. Because the world is already a scary place, and now there's something else you can't control, but that's going to keep happening anyway wether you want it to or not. But the simple answer? No, mutants are not here to take over the world, because mutation doesn't work like that. I don't think what's happening is even mutation in the traditional sense. There's been some sort of... shift that's causing children all over the world to randomly be born with these new abilities, and it's hardly a new thing, because I know for a fact that this kind of change has happened before, just much, much more rarely."
There's a pause, then an older black woman with greying hair standing in the front of the group speaks hesitantly "My daughter, she..." she pauses "She had her baby recently, just before Christmas actually. She and her husband, they'd been so happy, we all were, this was going to be their first child, but..." She closes her eyes, her voice quivering "...the baby, there was something wrong. She had scales. These awful hard, dark, shiny scales, like a snake! And her eyes, bright yellow, with a slit!" The woman looks like she's about to start crying, but composes herself again "My son-in law left. Said the baby was a demon. Said it was my daughters fault. That our family was poison..."
There's a mix of pity and disgust on the faces of the people listening to the womans story, though I notice the slavic woman takes her hand and holds it in support. I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
"Not gonna lie, that's a rough deal, and again, not a biologist, so don't take my word as gospel, but if I had to guess? Your granddaughter is one of the unlucky few who got a physical mutation, and it didn't bother waiting for puberty to kick in. There's a good chance it'll keep developing as she gets older too."
"Can you... I mean, how do we fix her?"
I take a moment before I answer. I can't really blame her for thinking that way, even the most open-minded person is going to have a bit of a freakout when their baby comes out half-snake, but there's really no sugarcoating this either. "There's no fixing her, because there's nothing to fix. This is a fundamental part of her, the same as the color of someone's skin."
"You don't understand..."
I nod "I know, doesn't mean what I'm saying is any less true. It's going to be a difficult journey, even harder than it would have been for either of you otherwise, but it's the journey you'll have to take now. But, there is one thing I can do..." I reach into the coat of my pocket, and pull out one of the contact cards Professor Xavier gave me before we parted, and offer it to the woman "If you feel like you can't handle this alone, contact Professor Charles Xavier on this number, and tell him I sent you. I believe he'll be able to atleast offer some assistance."
The woman just stares at the card for a moment, before accepting it, staring at it like it might vanish if she takes her eyes off it. I take out a few more cards, and hold them out, offering them to the group.
"The same goes for anyone else here, no questions asked. If you know anyone, be it your family, or one of your neighbors, who might be in need of help, this is open for anyone."
No one moves, the people looking between eachother. Finally, the man who had first approached us with his daughter reaches out and takes one of the cards.
...
"How's Sunshine and Hulk doing?"
Steve Rogers looked out across the lake to the other side where Johan and Bruce had decided to set up their part of the meetup, away from the throng of the main crowd. Hulk, much to Steve's surprise, had been surrounded by children since the last time he'd looked over, while Johan seemed to be talking to their parents. While he couldn't hear them over this distance, judging by the looks on their faces, it didn't seem like it was a pleasant conversation.
"Well, Hulk seems to have found a new career as a jungle gym for the kids of Brooklyn" Iron Man said next to him, crouching down and pulling another present from the sack he was holding, offering it to a shy girl hiding behind her mothers legs, staring up at the large armored figure in front of her with wide eyes. Seeing her hesistance, Steve kneeled down, taking the gift from Iron Mans hand and offering it to the girl with a smile. Apparently finding him a bit less intimidating, she smiled back and accepted it happily before darting off, dragging her mother with her. Iron Man watched them go "I tell you, kids these days, can't appreciate a good suit of armor." He said, his voice light with humor. "Anyway, as I was saying, Hulk found a new calling, and Sunshine..." He looked over, his eyes narrowing under his face plate "...actually, I don't know what he's doing over there. He does know the point of this isn't to make everyone sad, right?"
"I'd like to say yes, but I'll admit he doesn't have the best batting average when it comes to first impressions."
Iron Man groaned "Why is always about baseball with you, Cap?"
Steve smiled "It IS the Great American Pasttime, Iron Man."
"...did you just try to make a joke?"
"Oh heavens no, everyone knows they didn't invent humor until 1952"
Before Iron Man could respond, Steve Rogers had turned away with a grin, greeting the next person in line.
...
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