1963-10-23 - Evolutionary Advantages
Summary: An Institute trip to the Museum of Natural History gets a little bit chaotic.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
logan moira lorna magneto psyche crystal 


*

Parts of New York City are in chaos. Central Park, for example, just on the other side of the building, is home to a portal to some other, hellish dimension. On the up side, tickets for the museum were very inexpensive. It turns out threat of death and dismemberment is bad for attendance.

It explains the high percentage of chaperones on the Xavier Institute's field trip to the Museum of Natural History. The students have their own abilities, of course, but with instructors and staff along for the ride, any hellbeast that thinks to cause trouble today is going to have a rough time of it. Luckily for the chaperones, there are plenty of docents available to take on the teaching load, leading the groups of children through the museum exhibits for lecture and explanations of the exhibits.

While the children get an education, others are free to wander. Currently, that means the dinosaur exhibit. Evolution in action. "Thank goodness no one stopped by to experiment on that," Crystal muses, staring up at a T-Rex exhibit.

*

Logan keeps to the back of the group, largely to himself, a cigar at the corner of his mouth. He's got on his bomber jacket and flannel, which practically accounts for his uniform, really. Some of the folks in the X-men were tryin' out fancy pants outfits like they were flamin' Captain America. Wouldn't be catchin' Logan dead dressin' up like a canary or some shit.

He's looking at a model of a giant beaver, about the same size as the man himself, reared up with huge buck teeth. "Prehistoric or not, bub, you an' me woulda tangled," he grins.

*

Psyche stays to the back of the group as much as possible and does her best to look engaged. She does start when she comes face to face with a prehistoric bear that's pretty scary looking, "Okay…that's going to give me nightmares." She shakes her head and goes back over to T-Rex. His big teeth are a bit intimidating but those tiny arms are kinda funny to the girl and less threatening.

*

Not far from Logan, Erik smirks ruefully at the man's comment. "Something tells me you'd have come up the winner."

For his part, he's dressed business casual. Brown loafers, pressed trousers, and a brown turtle neck shirt beneath a dark gray vest. A nice brimmed hat is worn upon his head, sunglasses tucked away into a vest pocket. His trench coat had been checked at the front.

Almost immediately following the remark, Erik's face goes funny. He quickly reaches for a handkerchief, and blows two potent sneezes into the cloth. Some of the others might have noticed his sneezing. Allergies, perhaps? It is that time of the season.

However, as he pulls the handkerchief away, there's a scowl on his face. "Did you notice a gift shop when we entered?" he asks of Logan. See, that handkerchief is about done for, and he's not about to tuck it away for laundering later.

*

One of the regular teachers at the academy, and living there for the last six months, most of the students have probably gotten to know Moira by now. That means it's no surprise that she's one of the many chaperones on the trip to the museum this weekend. Her schedule has slightly changed with the school, since taking a sabbatical from Columbia to handle other work, but she's still around fairly regularly. She's also happy to be able to get out with the kids on an activity that ISN'T a class.

She stays near the back, partially because she's probably one of the slowest in the group, ever needing to use that crutch to support the weight and use of her left leg and hip, but also partially to make certain they don't lose anyone and aren't being followed. She gives Psyche a gentle smile at the nightmares comment, "If it gets too much, just remember you are here, and that did not survive the evolutionary process." Ahh, a geneticist's answer.

*

Lorna was enjoying her day off, hugging her coat with the Frost Institute's logo on it, around her shoulders with a faint smile as she wandered around the museum with a slow ideness. Brown hair bounced behind her in a high ponytail as she practically skipped around the various displays. A notepad in front of her as she sketched and took notes. She might have a day off studying and working at the diner, but she was always an active student regardless.

The tour group from another school passes by her and her brows lurch upwards in amusement as she listened to the other students go about their business.

*

"Well, something related to it survived the evolutionary process," Crystal smiles over her shoulder at Moira. "But no, not that one in particular. I do wonder just what it was about being that bear that wasn't an advantage. Size, maybe. Bears mostly eat things that aren't meat, don't they? I can imagine it must have had to eat more than it could find to grow that big."

She chuckles. "Rather like certain members of the student body."

*

Logan snorts and turns his head back to look at Magneto, 'You got that right, bub," he says. "I'da been wearin' a coat last me a long Jurassic friggin' winter," he chuckles.

"Gift shop?" he says, perplexed for a moment. Cause of a little snot? Erik didn't strike him as enough of a pansy to have to buy a whole new hanky over a sneeze, "I think there was one back there, I weren't really payin' attention. If you need a new hankie, I got a bandanna tucked in my back pocket," he says.

He might not be familiar to everyone - he keeps to himself mostly, at his cabin tucked back onto the school grounds, and he's more security than teacher. Still, the man's got a reputation of his own and most folks probably at least know who the Wolverine is."

*

Psyche mumbles to herself, "Can we not talk about the damn bear…" She touches the bridge of her nose, trying to ignore the large prehistoric beast that matches some of her worst nightmares. She stares up at the T-Rex, "You wouldn't bug me in dreamland, would you Rexy?" She gives a half smile and then turns to Moira, "And yeah…it's cool these bad boys aren't walking about. Cause that would be scary."

*

Logan's remark earns a rueful grin from Erik. Here we have two men who couldn't be more polar opposites, and yet, he's spent enough time around the institute to recognize that Logan cares for the kids. Erik is an intuitive sort, and in this case, he doesn't think he's wrong. Why else would Logan have come along to chaperone?

"I'll spare you the ugly details, but if-" He's cut off by another bout of sneezing, this time three, and this time far more violent. When he pulls the handkerchief away, he's forced to find a clean spot with which to clean some excess snot. Beyond that? There's a distinct possibility that his face seems to have lost some color.

Brow creased, he turns away from Logan and the students. "Excuse me," he tells them, and begins heading toward a men's room spotted some distance beyond the T-Rex exhibit. As he walks past it, however, a little metal stand with a plexiglass-covered information plaque rattles, then tips over and falls, seemingly of its own accord.

*

For a few moments, Moira begins rattling on about the precedent of survival not always being on the strongest of the species and specifically about that genius of that prehistoric bear. But then Psyche asks not to talk about it and she seems to realize she's hit that point of techno-speak that most people are going to have glazed eyes soon. She stops and clears her throat, "Pardon. Yes. We will just be content that we do not have such bears *or* dinosaurs about any longer." Moira states with a half grin.

But then something tugs in the back of her mind that things behind her Aren't Right. She stops, turning to look back to Erik and Logan, her dark brows knitting just a bit tighter as she gazes over to the men. "…Logan…Erik…what is… Erik? Is everything alright?" She asks, worry deepning as he begins to the bathroom and that metal stand tips over. Her eyes widen and she's immediately looking for some exits.

*

The zing of metal drags Lorna's attention sharply, and her eyes widen as the metal stand crashes to the ground. She spins on her feet to stare at it, checking over her hands and her own figure as if to be sure that it hadn't been /her/ doing. Her own tension spiking sharply enough that a few other smaller metal objects start to rattle around her in return.

If she hadn't?.. No, maybe she had knocked it over? But she'd been practicing keeping her powers tamped down…

The brunette darts away from the group, walking off where the crowds were less as she tried to slow her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

*

"I think the T-Rex would settle for just eating you," Crystal laughs to Psyche, though her smile fades as well when Erik hurries past, brows furrowing. "Erik?" She looks to Moira, as if the other woman might have a better idea of what's going on. And then she leans back to get a look at Logan. He doesn't look like he's been punching anyone. Curious. And then more things are rattling?

Frowning, the young woman extends a hand slightly to her side, letting her senses flow over the area and smoothing over the changing magnetic fields. "Logan, would you mind making sure he's not having a seizure in there?"

*

Logan considers, "Looks like yer boy there's got a serious case o' the sniffles," he says to Moira, although he notes that there's a bit more than the usual concern on her face, "Somethin' goin' on with him?" he asks.

Of course, he feels plenty of surge himself. His metal bones are going to react to any sort of electro-magnetic pulse going about, like somebody hit him in the funny bone, making his skin itch and crawl a bit.

*

Psyche isn't watching Magneto head off to the guy's room. She's more interested in the girl that seems upset, almost to the point of having a panic attack. She gives an absent nod to Crystal, "Yeah…well T-Rex has a peanut brain so I think I could out think him." She slips away as the adults are looking in Erik's direction and waves to the girl who goes to another school, "Oh hey…are you okay?" She does observe the girl is a little freaked out and doesn't want to upset her.

*

The slim brunette teacher is looking far more worried than she should be on a regular outing. Moira never did know how to hide her heart from where she wears it on her sleeve. She nods in agreement with Crystal's words, "Logan…could you please check on him…" And then her mind remembers that, just as the pins in her leg are now thrumming, ALL Of Logan's bones must be as well. "Second thought, don't. You might want to get… Far. SOmeone with less metal… Crystal, can you knock on the bathroom door and check…?" Moira asks, her tone a bit more commanding, but the worry is still there. She then looks back to Psyche and Logan, "We should possibly start getting ready to go… Once he's… himself again, getting out of here would be wise."

*

Before he can enter the men's room, Erik pause. By all accounts, it would seem he isn't aware of the funny rattling metal items. He's halfway in and halfway out, the door in his grasp, when another bout of nausea hits him."

There is flux in the magnetic spectrum, like waves caused by the passing of two boats through still water. Erik can sense the spike coming from another person, and his head jerks into Lorna's direction with a sharp look.

The ripples are calmed by Crystal, another thing he can perceive in his mind. It doesn't make much sense; he hasn't done anything. His powers were well enough in check.

Or are they?

Erik grimaces once, and when he does, the lights begin to flicker. This, of course, draws the attention of many people, but the museumgoers are too distracted by the electrical disturbance to pay much attention to a handful of people.

Another grimace, and every item of ferrous material within 20 feet of Erik begins bending away from him. That's something Crystal and Lorna will surely be able to sense. Let's hope Moira and Logan aren't too close.
"

*

Lorna's attention shifted from calming her breathing to the woman that approached her, her brows shooting upwards as she tried to smile sheepishly. "Just.. a panic attack. I get them sometimes.." She shifted on her toes, seeming to be able to calm herself as she adjusted her grip on her notebook.

Then came the rejoinder of power and she stiffened, her eyes going wide as metal moved and the eletricity flickered over head. She paled, her own powers reacting sharply and wildly out of panic that seized her. Another rattling of power answering, and she slammed her eyes shut, once again trying to calm her breathing in vain.

Her pen flying from her grip to smack her in the face. "Ow."

*

Right. Everyone else has metal in them. That's worse than the potential embarrassment of going into the mens room.

Crystal nods to Moira, taking a few hurried steps to set a hand to Erik's shoulder. "Erik," she says quietly. "Is everything all right?" She tries to ease some of the tension between the magnetic fields, but the truth is, her abilities with them are minor at best. And trapped between two poles, the best she can do is to keep them from spinning entirely out of control. "This seems to be getting a little bit out of hand."

*

Logan narrows his eyes, "Whatchu mean, hisself again? Who else has he got in that body o' his? Did he get possessed by a damn demon or somethin'? An' if he did, and you knew about it, what the cotton pickin' hell is he doin' goin' on field trips with the flamin' kids?" he says with a snarl.

As for him leaving, that would be a cold day in hell itself when Logan went running, metal in his bones or not. Yeah, Magneto could hurt him, no doubt about it, but hurtin' wasn't the same as stoppin' and it would take a lot dished out to put Logan down. Hopefully more'n the stiff-necked Euro could dish out.

Hopefully.

At any rate, Logan goes to follow, moving to check on Erik and see what exactly's going on. Seeing Psyche checking on Lorna, he calls out, "You, girl, get the kids outta here if ya can, we're gonna have a little teacher-teacher conference," he says. He wishes he had Jean here to go pokin' around in people's heads and get 'em settled. Provided she wasn't losin' her own damn mind and ready to burn 'em to a crisp at the time, of course.

*

Things are getting more worrisome. Crystal AND Logan have both gone after Erik now, though Moira gives Logan a momentarily longer, worried look. "…He's not… possessed. He's been fine." Until now. And Logan is off after him. She's not about to call out in public about his bones, but she isn't thrilled he's chasing after. Knowing that she neither has Logan's ability to heal OR metal free bones, she limps quickly in the direction of Psyche and Lorna. She'll at least try to get the younger ones out of the way of any sort of harm, even if she doesn't really know Lorna.

"Girls, clearly there is some sort of… power issue. We should probably be getting out of the museum just in case there is circuit overload, or something. Come on, we'll head out. The others will be along shortly.." Moira offers with that too-serene, teacher-trying-to-calm-an-emergency practiced smile that all educators get in a crisis situation. She's then trying to head for the door again.

*

Psyche nods, understanding that panic attacks can happen, "Hey, it's okay…" She glances up as Logan tells her to get the other girl out of here. She nods and then gives her attention back to the student from another school, "Hey, hey…it looks the electrical system in the museum is acting up. We should probably step outside to somewhere safe. I can help you find your group afterwards." She leans down to touch the girl, take her by the hand so they can get out of there.

*

It takes a moment for Erik to recognize that he is one of those poles. His eyes turn up to look at light fixtures that peel out of the ceiling and go shooting away from him; live electrical cables begin ripping from the ceiling and flapping about in the air. This is bad.

"I'm not -" His attention jerks back to Crystal. Doing anything? No, he's not doing it, but it is coming from him. He lowers his head to her, quietly admitting, "- in control."

He's definitely lost some color to his face.

The fire alarm sounds. Someone pulled it. Security guards are moving in, trying to usher people away from the freely waving electrical conduits. Not necessarily a good thing, as their radios grow staticky before getting ripped right off their belts. Soon after, the belts are pulling them back and away from Magneto, eliciting painful sounds.

Erik turns his attention to Psyche, and the young girl with her, Lorna. He raises a hand to point directly at Lorna. "She can stop it," he tells Crystal. "She… I don't think she knows, but she can!"

Why? Well, he knows his own power, and he can feel the untempered, untrained power buckling in her as she panics.

The pulse coming from him is growing more powerful. Erik looks toward Logan with a worried expression.

*

Lorna's gaze jumps from one woman to another as they attempt to usher her out of the building. Her shoulders rising as the magnetic poles in the museum shift and strengthen and she can /feel/ her own powers contort and wrap around her protectively, can /feel/ the way the metal twists and bends and pulls. Clearly, she wasn't going to believe the gentle lie about the electrical systems, but wanted to.

But her breathing ratched up as the fields jump and ping and grow and alarms blare. What metal there was around her creaks and trembles.

"Leaving.. yes.. right.." She mumbled, biting her lower lip as she struggles to ground herself in the conversation around her rather than the magnetic flucutations that had stolen all her focus and attention.

*

"Erik, I love you, and that's why I'm doing this, all right?" Crystal holds a hand out toward Logan to warn him back. "But you're going to go to sleep for a moment." She steps under one arm, wrapping it over her shoulders, then promptly starts to draw the air from his lungs.

Sometimes love is suffocating.

*

Logan feels that tension on his skeleton, rattling the bone and metal fusion within him, straining against his spinal column, pulsing around the marrow meat at the middle of it all. His whole body's throbbing, and not in the fun way he gets after a long night out in New Orleans.

"I dunno what the hell's goin' on, honest truth, I don't much give a good god damn. But last I checked, you knew how to fly. I don't know if you gotta rip a hole in the ceilin' to get out or what but you need to put some distance between yourself and civilized folk until - and now yer girl's kissin' you, well, I guess that's somethin', damn, son…"

*

Moira's leg nearly buckles out from under her. The pain isn't mind numbing yet, but there is definitely a tug on those pins in her thigh and hip which is enough that she's almost going down. She catches herself on her crutch and swears beneath her breath, a word she should NOT be using around students, but some situations call for it. She's trying to get Psyche and Lorna out of there, nodding in approval to Psyche's words to the other girl, "Go…go on, girls, I'll catch up." She breathes out.

Then she is limping after them. Even as a part of her hears Erik's comment about someone being able to shut it down, she's turned away now, just trying to get the young ones away from swinging pipes and ducts. "Follow the guards. It'll be alright, truly…" She reassures Lorna, completely oblivious as to why the girl seems to be in a panic, but she can see it and just wants to help.

*

Psyche listens to what Magneto is saying, her eyes widen and then she turns back to the other girl and unrolls what she can do. She looks at Lorna, catches her eye and then shows her the desire to be in control, to master her powers, to take control and calm everything down. It's her gift the ability to show an astral image of what the person most desires or fears. In Lorna's case, she's trying to blanket her with that confidence that she can handle the situation, "You got this…you totally have this. Just set things right."

*

Erik looks back from Lorna to Crystal, eyes wide. Then, he starts gagging. His cheeks sink as he fights against it (who wouldn't?), but he doesn't have a defense against such a thing. He chokes once, gags again, then, his eyes roll back into his head and he slumps against Crystal, dead weight.

The magnetic pulses stop coming at once, at least from Magneto. The power cables go limp, but some smart museum employee cut the power about five seconds ago, avoiding a fire, or worse, someone getting electrocuted. The guards clamor about, trying to find the flashlights that were ripped from their belts.

*

Lorna went along with leaving, even with her near panic causing her powers to flucuate rapidly in response. At least, until Psyche's presence settles her with her blanket of control and calm. Her shoulders sagged, and she calmed almost at the same time as Magneto's pulse of power stopped. Her powers settling as her breathing calmed. Inhale and exhale.

The metal's twisting and bending and shaking coming to a halt as both poles of the magnetic storm halt their surge on the museum.

Lorna blinked, as if in a daze as her gaze shifting over Psyche near her. "W-what..?"

*

Crystal lets out her own breath when Erik sags over her shoulder, giving Logan a dry look. "Oxygen," she explains. "If he's not conscious, then he's not doing…whatever that was. It won't last long, though." She doesn't seem to be having any trouble supporting his weight, though, starting toward the exit with a cautious look at his features. "Moira, are you all right?" she asks as she gets closer to the other woman. "He said there was a girl who was on the other end of it."

*

Logan feels the relaxation of some of the pulses, the ones most powerfully affecting his body. The relief can be seen in his face, the hint of sweat there beading up as he wipes his forehead with a sleeve, "Huh. Maybe I oughtta try the ol' liplock method o' subduin' folks in the future. Hell of a lot less bloody'n my claws, I can tell ya that," he says.

"Do we need to get him - an' the girlie fer that matter - bundled up an' outta here? I think it's safe ta say that field trip time's over. Goodbye, Dinosaur City an' all that shit."

*

Though the distance pain and more immediate protective rush, Moira hasn't *completely* missed that something is up with Lorna. Especially as Logan's gruff, echoing voice can be heard across the hall. And Crystal is confirming that the girl was on the other end of it. Moira looks from the other teacher back to Psyche and Lorna, arching a brow to Psyche as she now seems to catch on that the girl has done something to keep Lorna calm. She nods in approval. "Danielle, do you think she might want to come with us and talk? This was all a little overwhelming…" Moira states gently, her voice not carrying any pressure. She doesn't want to scare Lorna. She looks back to the girl, talking to her directly now, "We…we understand what happened here today. If you want some help…want to understand, you're welcome to come back with us. We can explain."

She gives Crystal the slightest of reassuring nods about being alright. She's limping a bit more than usual, but nothing overly bad. She's more worried about getting everyone out of there safely.

*

Psyche grins at the other girl, giving her the thumbs up sigh, "You totally had that." Doing the whole confidence boost thing to help Lorna. She then pauses as Moira approaches and tries to get Lorna to come with them, "It's okay…they're good people." She gives a friendly smile to the other girl, crossing her fingers that she doesn't realize that Psyche manipulated the situation.

*

Lorna shifts, her arms wrapping around herself protectively as a blush crossed her cheeks as eyes turn her way. She chews her lower lip, sinking deeper into her coat. "I uhm.. I…" She fidgets on her weight on her toes, her sneakers creaking on the floor. Though she seemed calmer, her breathing regular, she still seemed somewhat hesitant to go along with the strange people around her.

"Thank you, for the offer.. I-I just.. I'm eer.. I don't want to cause trouble.."

*

"I think you had some help," Crystal smiles ruefully as she draws closer to the girl, Erik's unconscious arm over her shoulder. "It's probably best if everyone goes home right now. But if you ever have any questions…" She shifts a bit, balancing Erik carefully until she can slip a business card from her purse. "Just call. Someone will be happy to talk with you." There's nothing but a number on the card, nothing else to look into, but there's also no pressure to it.

*

Logan heads for the door, "Don't care who's comin' with us, but I'm pullin' the bus around and everybody what's gettin' got can get on board and we'll be headin' back to the school toot friggin' sweet," he says. "An' then I'm gonna fuck right on off, have a beer and spend the rest o' the night fishin'. And then tomorrow, somebody's gonna explain t'me how a case o' the sniffles almost turns into a case o' Logan gets his skeleton ripped out his damn nasal passages."

*

That tension and worry in Moira's eyes deepens a bit as Lorna objects to coming with them, but Crystal's idea of the cards seems to be wise. She nods and reaches into her own purse, pulling out a card with her name also, "…What she said. You can call us, any time. We… we know what it's like to be different. We're just here to help. Now… we're going to help our friend get back home." She echoes, a gentle smile given to Lorna a moment longer before she nods a thanks to Crystal.

Moira then moves to Psyche's side, "…Good job, Danielle. Really." She murmurs softer than before. Whether she means the power use, or just keeping her head on straight, it's not clear. She then follows after Logan to the sidewalk, "We are right behind you, Logan." She calls to him, just as eager to get out of there.

*

Psyche gives a little smile and waves to Lorna as they start to leave her. She then nods to something that Moira says, "Thanks!" And then heads out. She does wince at Logan's little tirade about getting a beer and all of that but there's a grin to the grumpy old man, "Okay…I'll be out there." And then she helps the teachers get the other kids out. For all her youth, Psyche has a lot of maturity and usually plays teacher's pet on these field trips anyway.

*

Lorna blinks, staring with wide eyes at the offer of not one but two cards. Her lips parting as she shifts uncomfortably on her feet, taking each card and turning them over between her fingers. But then, she was moving along beside Moira. "Wait.. I.. thank you.." She mumbled, her cheeks hot as she averted her gaze and glanced over Magneto slumped over Crystal's figure. She grimaced, and seemed to come to a decision.

"I'll come, I want to know what happened." She mumbled, glancing side long at Logan as the man left with a grimace. "If it's not too much trouble."

*

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