X-Men: Catalyst

"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

Miss Chen's smile made you forget you were standing in what was basically a mansion crossed with a fortress. A small silver die dangled from her right ear, catching the light as she moved. Professional, but with just enough personality to say, 'I'm not your typical administrator.'

"I'm Miss Chen, but you probably caught that from the door." She grabbed her tablet from her desk. "And yes—" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "—I know you have questions. Probably about a million of them right now."

Clark felt Harper's small hand slip into his, her fingers occasionally sparking with nervous energy. The contact grounded him, reminding him that whatever this place was, whatever was about to happen, at least they were in it together.

"A million?" Clark's laugh came out shakier than he meant it to. "Try a billion. Starting with what exactly—"

"—this place even is?" Miss Chen finished, already moving toward the door. "What we're all about?" Her smile widened. "Well..."

"Let me guess." Remy's voice carried that lazy drawl that somehow made everything sound like a joke he was letting you in on. "This is de part where we get de grand tour, non?"

Miss Chen tapped her nose with her free hand. "Yep, I believe sometimes seeing is better than telling."

Clark and Remy exchanged looks—part skepticism, part curiosity. Harper just bounced on her toes, that endless kid energy somehow still going after everything they'd been through.

"So what you're saying is—" Clark started.

"—This is like the world's fanciest show and tell?" Remy finished, earning an eye-roll from Clark.

"What I'm saying—" Miss Chen led them into a hallway that probably cost more than Clark's entire life savings. "—is that Xavier's isn't just a school. Well, it is a school. Obviously." She gestured at a group of students passing by, their casual "Hi Miss Chen!" mixing with the sound of their footsteps. One kid was floating a few inches off the ground.

"But it's also..." She paused, weighing her words. "It's a sanctuary. A place where being different isn't just accepted—it's celebrated. Where having gifts doesn't make you a freak or a weapon or a problem to be solved. It makes you... you."

"A safe place," Harper said quietly, her grip on Clark's hand tightening slightly.

"Exactly." Miss Chen's voice softened. "Safe to learn, safe to grow, safe to figure out who you are and what you can do. Without fear of persecution or isolation or—"

"—getting attacked by masked giants in libraries?" Clark couldn't help adding.

"Preferably, yes." Miss Chen's laugh was honest. "Though I have to admit, that's a new one for the orientation packet."

"And all this—" Remy gestured expansively at their surroundings, at the clearly expensive everything. "—it don't come with a price tag? Because in my experience, everything got a price."

"Financially?" Miss Chen shook her head. "No charge. Professor Xavier believes education should be a right, not a privilege. Especially for young mutants who often have limited options elsewhere."

"So what's the catch?" Clark asked because there had to be one. Life had taught him that much, at least.

Miss Chen stopped walking, turning to face them fully. Her expression was serious now, but not unkind. "The catch is that we expect you to work hard. To push yourself. To learn not just about your powers, but about responsibility, community, and being part of something bigger than yourself." She smiled again, but this time it had an edge of challenge. "Think you can handle that?"

Clark looked at Harper, still holding his hand like an anchor. At Remy, trying to look unimpressed but clearly taking in every detail. At the students passing by, each one carrying themselves with a confidence he wasn't used to seeing in people like them. People with gifts. With powers. With differences that made the world scared.

"Yeah," he said finally, surprising himself with how much he meant it. "Yeah, I think we can handle that."

Miss Chen's heels clicked against the floor as she led them past rows of lockers that looked almost aggressively normal. Like someone had taken a slice of regular high school and dropped it into the middle of this whole... whatever this was. Mansion? Castle? Training facility? Clark still hadn't quite figured out what to call it.

"So this—" Miss Chen gestured with her tablet, barely missing a beat as a kid with metallic skin ducked past them. "—is our west wing. Humanities, languages, social sciences. You know, the subjects that make us..." She smiled. "Well, human."

"That's... that's kind of on the nose, isn't it?" Clark couldn't help saying.

"Says the guy who shoots blue energy from his hands," Remy drawled, earning himself an elbow in the ribs.

They rounded a corner into what felt like a different building entirely. The lockers gave way to gleaming lab equipment visible through reinforced windows. Screens lined the walls, displaying everything from complex mathematical formulas to what looked suspiciously like a diagram for some kind of jet.

"Center wing," Miss Chen explained, pride evident in her voice. "Science labs, tech centers, math classrooms. We believe in staying ahead of the curve here at Xavier's, especially since some of our students tend to... challenge the laws of physics regularly."

BAMF!

The sound hit, accompanied by a burst of purple smoke that smelled vaguely of brimstone. Clark's hands flared blue on instinct, Harper squeaked, and Remy... Remy just looked amused, like this was exactly the chaos he'd been expecting.

When the smoke cleared, two figures materialized—one with indigo skin, pointed ears, and a tail that seemed to have a mind of its own, the other a brown-haired kid clutching a laptop.

"Bobby. Kurt." Miss Chen's voice carried the patience reserved for teachers who've seen it all. "I assume you're heading to class?"

The blue kid—Kurt—offered a bow that somehow was both theatrical and genuinely charming. His accent was thick enough to spread on toast. "But of course, Fräulein Chen! Ve would never dream of—"

"—skipping class—" Bobby added quickly.

"—or causing any sort of mischief—"

"—Because we are model students—"

"—who value our education above all else!"

Miss Chen's raised eyebrow could have won awards for skepticism. "Uh-huh. And that wouldn't be someone else's laptop, would it?"

Bobby's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. "Kurt," he whispered in what he probably thought was a subtle voice. "Now would be good. Like, really good."

"Jawohl!" Kurt grabbed Bobby's shoulder, flashed them all a fanged grin that was more endearing than scary, and—

BAMF!

The purple smoke hadn't even cleared when a head—just a head—poked through the solid wall beside them. Clark felt his brain short-circuit for a moment because that was... that was definitely a person's head, just casually sticking out of the wall like some kind of living decoration.

"I swear to god—" The head, belonging to a girl with brown hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, looked ready to commit murder. "Those idiots are going to—" She finally seemed to notice their little tour group. "Oh! Um. Hi?"

Her hand phased through the wall to wave, and Harper made a sound that was half gasp, half delighted giggle.

"Morning, Kitty," Miss Chen said, with the air of someone who'd long since accepted that this was just what her mornings looked like now.

"Morning, Miss Chen!" Kitty's eyes darted between the fresh faces. "Are these—"

"—New students, yes."

"Cool! Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go murder Bobby and Kurt." She flashed them a bright smile. "Welcome to Xavier's! It's totally normal here, I promise!" And with that, she disappeared back through the wall.

Harper tugged on Clark's sleeve, practically vibrating with excitement. "Did you see that? She went right through the wall! And he was blue! And they teleported! This place is amazing!"

Clark couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, even as his mind tried to process everything they'd just witnessed. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty—"

BAMF!

"Sorry!" Kurt's voice echoed from somewhere above them. "Just forgot my textbook!"

Another burst of smoke, and then silence. Miss Chen pinched the bridge of her nose, but Clark could see the smile she was trying to hide.

"So..." Remy drawled, casually leaning against a wall. "Dis what you mean by 'gifted' youngsters, non? Cause I got to say, dat's a bit more impressive dan being good at math."

Miss Chen's laugh was genuine. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Just wait until you see the Danger Room."

"The what now?" Clark and Remy asked simultaneously.

Harper just clapped her hands, sparks dancing between her fingers. "I love this place!"

And somehow, watching her excitement, seeing how quickly this place had turned 'different' into 'normal,' Clark found himself starting to agree. Even if he was pretty sure he didn't want to know what a 'Danger Room' was.

The east wing felt different.

Clark couldn't quite put his finger on why at first. Maybe the thicker walls here, or the slightly higher placement of the windows compared to other sections, caused that feeling. The entire area had this weight to it.

"Welcome to the east wing." Miss Chen's voice took on a more formal tone. "This is where we handle specialized training, power control, and..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Let's call it practical applications of gifts."

"You mean this is where you teach people how to use their powers?" Remy translated, his red-on-black eyes scanning the reinforced walls with interest.

"That would be one way to put it, yes." Miss Chen tapped something on her tablet. "But it's also where we teach control, restraint, and responsibility. Having power is one thing—knowing when and how to use it? That's something else entirely."

"And let me guess—" Clark started.

"—We're not allowed in here without—" Remy continued.

"—adult supervision?" Harper finished, making both older boys look at her in surprise.

Miss Chen's laugh echoed off the reinforced walls. "Got it in one. Unless you're supervised, have explicit permission, or you're a senior, this area is strictly off-limits." She fixed them each with a pointed look. "And yes, we will know if you try to sneak in."

The sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention. A guy about Clark's age came around the corner. Sweat plastered his brown hair to his forehead, and a grey athletic shirt clung to his frame, suggesting a grueling workout. But it was the ruby quartz glasses that caught Clark's attention—they looked expensive, custom-made, and essential.

"Morning, Miss Chen." His voice carried a quiet authority that made Clark think 'leader' immediately.

"Morning, Scott." Miss Chen smiled. "Early start in the Danger Room?"

"You know how it is." Scott adjusted his glasses slightly, the motion practiced and precise. His gaze swept over their little group, assessing but not unfriendly. He nodded to Clark and Remy, who found themselves returning the gesture almost automatically.

Harper tugged on Clark's sleeve. "What's wrong with his eyes?" she whispered, not quietly enough.

"Harper!" Clark chided.

But Scott just smiled—a small thing, but real. "Nothing's wrong with them. They just work a little too well sometimes." He touched his glasses again, this time more self-consciously. "These help keep things... manageable."

"Speaking of managing things," Miss Chen checked her watch, "we should probably wrap this up. The Danger Room's down below, but that's a tour for another day."

"The Danger Room?" Clark couldn't help asking. "That's the second time it's been mentioned. Please tell me that's just a really dramatic name for like... a study hall or something?"

The look Scott and Miss Chen exchanged did nothing to reassure him.

"You'll find out soon enough," Miss Chen said, already leading them back toward the main building. "The library's down that way—" She pointed left. "—and the cafeteria's that way." She gestured right. "Trust me, you can't miss it. Just follow the smell of whatever's burning in Bobby's latest cooking attempt."

They ended up at a set of imposing double doors that practically screamed, 'Important things happen here.' Miss Chen stopped, turning to face them with that same warm smile she'd started with, but now Clark could see the knowing glint in her eyes.

"Well, this is where I leave you," she said, straightening her blazer. "They'll take it from here."

"They?" Harper's voice carried equal parts excitement and nervousness. "Who's they?"

Miss Chen tapped Harper's nose with her pen, her smile knowing. "You'll see." She started down the hall, then turned back for one last look. "Oh, and fair warning? I've got a feeling you three are going to be frequent visitors to my office." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "The troublemakers always are."

As she disappeared around the corner, Clark stared at the doors looming before them. "So..." he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Do we knock, or?"

"Could always blow them up," Remy suggested helpfully. At Clark's glare, he raised his hands defensively. "What? Was just offering options, mon ami."

The doors swung open on their own.

"Well," Remy drawled, "dat answers dat question."