Fox in the Hen House

Posted on Thu Sep 8th, 2022 @ 10:05am by Charles Xavier & Levi Rousseau & Ethan Hale

2,050 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Episode 2: Northern X-Posure
Location: X-Mansion | Solarium / Attic
Timeline: August 4th, 1990

Gone were the days when the attic served as mere overflow storage. Yes, some priceless family heirlooms were locked away in strongboxes and kept preserved under oiled burlap cloths, but the primary space was reserved for quiet contemplation. The east-facing wall and ceiling featured thick windows and were topped by panes of stained glass which allowed for daylight to illuminate the dusty, old attic. This was not a place for learning, working, or any other such thing. It was a private sanctuary of sorts dedicated to nothing other than thinking.

A handful of antique wingback chairs and candelabras on simple tables adorned the makeshift sitting area, but otherwise, the solarium was rather spartan. The Professor sat between two chairs with his fingers steepled together against the bridge of his nose, deep in thought.

The path that Charles had chosen was to allow a literal Predator into his home. While he did not second-guess his instincts, he still nonetheless needed to be prepared, to say nothing of preparing young Ethan for the offer that was made to him. Oftentimes, the Professor would provide extended tours of the campus or have private conversations in more traditional areas of the Mansion--the library, the day room, any of the study halls, or even the courtyard itself. But this was a matter of some delicacy that would require even more privacy--especially if Xavier found himself in need of taking drastic measures to ensure the safety of his students.

By the time Levi and Ethan alighted onto the roof of the Mansion, one of the large sunroom windows, tall enough to walk through, was open to them on the extended ledge. With the sun setting in the west, however, the east-facing windows were dark and foreboding, leaving no illumination for the sitting area but the candelabras.

~Come~

The Professor's voice broadcasted into both of their minds was imperative but welcoming.

Levi touched down first as heralded by the breeze that momentarily billowed into the room to break his descent. He'd never entered the mansion that way and had never even been to this particular room, but somehow he'd known it was the way in this evening. He stepped into the attic room and then turned to look behind him for the winged one.

Ethan, on the other hand, hadn't had a clue that the way they'd entered had been assigned ahead of time.

He walked in behind Levi, with more than a little uncertainty. His wings were folded together, tight against his back, trying to make himself as small a target as he could. His arms hung stiffly at his side, his fists clenched, and his talons extended. He wasn't trying to be aggressive, he was barely aware of what he was doing.

The Professor was exuding confidence and a sense of peace but for the moment his anxiety was still too prevalent

"Professor?" he asked, keeping behind Levi and not making eye contact.

"Yes, sit, please." Xavier extended his hands toward the seats. "It would seem we have much to discuss. Levi, in your brief time with us, you have already exemplified the courage and integrity I have hoped to instill in my students. And you have brought a new friend in need." When he turned his keen eyes onto Ethan, they bored into him like lasers. The knowing look in his eyes radiated horror that he managed to subdue with a wan smile. "I am Charles Xavier. Allow me to formally welcome you to my home and school for the gifted."

Levi sat down in one of the chairs and glanced from the Professor to Ethan. He wasn't entirely sure he considered Ethan a friend yet, but he didn't feel afraid of him at any rate. What he was sure of, finally realized with Xavier's compliments, was his placement at the school and on the team.

Ethan was still tense. On one level, he knew he shouldn't be. He was safe now. After weeks on the run, or the fly, he was still protected. His mind knew that, his guts didn't. He slowly unclenched his fists as he sat in the other chair. He looked at the Professor, then Levi, then back to the Professor.

"Thank you, sir. It's been a really long trip."

"All of life is a journey," the Professor agreed in his way, "but what makes it worthwhile is finding good stops along the way. I suppose we should address the elephant in the room: we both know the hunter has become the prey. What can you tell me of your former organization?"

Ethan took a deep centering breath. "Well, you know my name, Ethan Hale is my name, and they called me Predator because that's what I was, that's what they made me." He heaved a sigh his wings rising and falling. "But that's not what I want to be."

"The group I used to belong to was the Phoenix Academy, it was in LA, but they have chapters in other cities too. There's kind of an umbrella group over the schools, called the Phoenix Foundation. I don't know much about them. I'm not really sure how many cities have schools, but I know they have them in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, and here in New York City."

"There were six of us in LA, all infused with animal DNA. I have feline-large cat, raptor, and reptile DNA all in me. Apex was the most powerful. He has bird and reptile. He's bigger than me and stronger. I might be slightly faster than him."

"There there is Catamount, he has two types of cat, jaguar and wildcat. Strong, quick, and really sharp claws. He and I were...close." He let out another sigh, this one less pronounced, "we were boyfriends. Anyway, he's really lost and thinks that I betrayed him. He tried to kill me and almost did so because, well, I trusted him. But, that's a story for another day."

"Then there is Stalker, he has reptile DNA. Lots of very sharp teeth and a tail that can do some real damage. He and I were roommates and good friends. I might even be able to reason with him, but I can't say for sure."

"Widow is a year or so older than me, and really good looking. sShe has spider DNA. Her bite is poisonous and she can entangle people in her web if she gets close."

"Finally, there is Amarok. He's probably the most human. He's mostly a hacker and an infiltrator. He's got some chameleon DNA. So, he can change his appearance."

Levi listened as Ethan enumerated the internal strengths of his former team. His brows furrowed at the knowledge that these mutations were not naturally occurring, but manmade. Created on purpose, with a purpose. It was a level of malevolence he wasn't previously much aware of, though he suspected the professor was.

At first, Xavier kept his expression neutral, but the longer he listened, the more expressive his face became. "Experimentation on mutants is not a new trend, but this..." He released a breath he had been holding and took a deeper one. "Ethan, I confess that I had been at a loss attempting to determine the nature of who and what you are. Cerebro did not mark you as a mutant, that is, you do not possess the Homo sapiens superior gene, and so Cerebro filtered out your brainwaves. In truth, I did not discover you until you were virtually right on top of Levi. But you clearly are not the garden-variety human either. Further study may be required if that is a path you wish to pursue deeper." He pressed his mind forward onto Ethan's just enough to induce a direct but gentle dose of sympathy. "I am truly sorry for what was done to you in the name of destroying innocent people. You are as much of a casualty in the misbegotten war between humanity and mutantkind as anyone."

"Thank you, sir, it feels good to hear a sympathetic voice. My appearance pretty much marks me as different, as you say, but at least it would be harder for their instruments to detect me.'

"What do you mean by further study? I don't want more experiments. done on me."

"No, never that," said the Professor with an emphatic shake of his head. "I am a scholar, not a lab technician. At most we might perform some scans in order to ascertain the breadth of what was done to you and how you survived it, but that is not the most pressing matter at hand."

Raising his hand, palm outward, in a respectful gesture to allow him to finish, Xavier went on. "I will have to look into this Phoenix Foundation, as it sounds like merely a front for something else that is entirely too well funded and organized to be a minor threat. If it is as I fear, your old comrades may represent the cusp of a new battlefront that we must be prepared to meet. But we do not train to hunt, but rather to defend. There is no space for predators in this place, yet clearly, you are not of that mind or you would not be here."

"You don't know what I've done. I don't want to be a predator, but it's been ingrained into me. I feel like I am, even though I don't want to be."

Voice lowering slightly, the Professor continued, "No, Ethan, what I sense in you is a guardian. In ages past, great architects placed impressive sigils on their mighty works. A popular one, particularly known for its wit and valor, was the gryphon. Some scholars believe it was the inspiration for the Great Sphinx of Giza. While I offer you sanctuary in this place, I wish to extend to you something more: a new identity as Gryphon, a guardian of the greatest treasure this world has ever known." His brow flared with intrigue. "Peaceful coexistence for all. You may think it over for as long as you need."

Ethan took several minutes to process the professor's words. "Gryphon. I like that idea. What do you think, Levi?"

Levi had been trying not to stare at either of them too directly during their conversation, to which he'd felt a bit like a third wheel. He had been waiting quietly to see how Ethan responded to the new identity Xavier offered. The corner of his lips tugged upward as he regarded Ethan and his question, "It has a nice ring to it. Welcome to the team?"

"Thanks," came the quick reply. "I can't wait to meet the others. Though I have to admit it's going to take some getting used to, knowing that I can actually trust my teammates."

"Trust is something we will all have to earn together," said the Professor, "so do not feel burdened to give it or rejected if it is slow in coming from everyone. But you are welcome nonetheless." He looked around the attic solarium. "This space was favored by one of my first students--Warren. We affectionately called him Angel in favor of his broad wings. I wouldn't go so far as to call him aloof, but he did appreciate his space. The solarium's rooftop exit allowed Warren free ingress and egress as he pleased." Eyes turning back to Ethan and Levi, the Professor said, "I think it appropriate to extend the same offering to you. Personal quarters notwithstanding, as there are no beds up here, you may think of this Roost, as some members of the team came to call it, as your own."

Wheeling his chair away from the sitting position, he added, "It is late, and there are other matters that I must attend to before I can retire for the night. Welcome again, Ethan. Well done, Levi." He smiled wearily and nodded to them both before taking his leave.


"I would love this place," Ethan said "it would be perfect. It would make a great place just to come to. A haven if you will, and I'm perfectly okay with that. But, could I bring a bed up here?"

"The Roost. It's better than a barn in any case," Levi said simply with a smirk.

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