"Take her slow, there, Rick." "Could be gas behind that wall." "Cave in !" "Pa !" " Get my boy out of here !" " I ain't leaving you, Pa !" "The gas, Sam !" "When it hits that wiring, the whole tunnel will go up !" "You got to blast yourself out of here !" "Hang on !" "Did you see that ?" "Way to go, Sam !" "You're a darn fool, Sam Guthrie." "And you don't mind your pa !" "But you're one heck of a good son." "And then there was this huge explosion, and Pa and Mr. Ireland and Sam came shooting right out of the middle of it." "Paige, you weren't even there." "Sarah's brother told her and she told me." "He said you were so close to the flames, your boots melted." "Come on, Paige." "You know nothing can touch me when I'm blasting !" "Well, you may be Superman when you're flying, but you're lust like the rest of us when you're not." "Oh, I lust can't take the both of you working in those mines." "You got to start thinking about the future, Sam." " Oh, Ma !" " Your mama is right, Sam." "You got better things ahead of you than working your life away in a hole in the ground." "That's what I keep telling the boy, Ed." "If we both keep saying it, maybe he'll listen to one of us." "Mr. Kirkland !" "Come on in !" "Maybe you can talk some sense into the boy !" "Well, Sam, I hear you're the town hero." "No, just a lot of fuss about nothing." "That's not what I heard." "Listen, Sam, I want you to reconsider our offer." "You'd have your pick of colleges and be doing a great service to your country." "I lust don't feel like I'm ready yet, sir." "It's a mighty big step, leaving home and all." "Nobody's ever ready to leave home, Sam." "But everybody has to make their own way in the world." "That's what being a man is all about." "I know, sir." "It's just..." "Can I have a little more time to think about it ?" "Sure, Sam." "I'll drop by in a week or so and we'll talk, all right ?" " Ed, Ellen, good seeing you." " Likewise." "And don't you worry, we'll bring Sam around yet." "The kid's not cooperating." "He's going to need more convincing." "It's time for a less subtle approach." "Shoot !" "Too bad, chère." "Look like Gambit gonna win the match !" "What Gambit get if he win ?" "Gambit gonna get a fat lip if he don't watch out !" "Just shoot, swamp boy !" "All right, we negotiate later." "Eight ball in the side pocket." "Mail call !" "Bad timing, McCoy." "So what's in the mailbag, Hank ?" "Well, in addition to the superfluous catalog enticements, there's a news report which piqued my interest." "A Samuel Guthrie, age 16, of Cumberland, Kentucky, appears to have used his mutant abilities to avert a mining disaster." "Despite the ongoing animosity of a suspicious town." "Must be tough being the only mutant in town." "Maybe I ought to go down and say hey." "No 16-year-old boy could mind a visit from a good old Southern gal." "And I could use a vacation." " Wait a minute..." " An excellent idea, Rogue." "There's my Philologist's Quarterly !" "Why you think this kid need our help ?" "It's a small town, Remy." "Folks can get nasty over a kid being different." "Or don't you remember ?" "You know, the open road get awful lonely." "You need some company, chère ?" "Ha !" "You kidding ?" "You're the one I need a vacation from !" "Darndest thing." "Lost two mares to it already and three more are ailing." "Doctor's never seen anything like it." "Any mutants around your farm ?" "Anybody with weird powers ?" "Just the Guthrie boy, but he lives a good two miles down the road." "Why'd you ask ?" "Fellow over at Pardee lost 20 cows in a week." "Come to find out his help was a mutant." "County agent said he was giving off some kind of radiation." "Radiation !" "Shoot !" "I don't care what kind of big shot hero he's supposed to be." "I never did like them Guthries." "You can't be too careful when radiation's concerned." " Well, good luck." " Them blasted mutants !" " Hey, you Kenny Jenkins ?" " Who's asking ?" "I'm Chad Prince, Sarah's cousin, from over in Pardee ?" " How you doing ?" " Listen, you still going with Shelly ?" "She's private stock, man." "I know !" "That's why it tripped me out to see her with Sam Guthrie !" "What are you talking about ?" "She was with that flying freak over in Slemp last Wednesday night." "Looked pretty serious." "She told me she went to visit her aunt !" "That's cold, man, two-timing you with that mutie geek." "Thanks, man." "I owe you." "I'll get it !" "Can I help you ?" "Who is it, Paige ?" "Somebody from..." " Gee." " You must be Sam." "I'm..." "Ms. LeBeau." "Folks at my school work with special kids like you." "It's lust that when I fly, nothing can hurt me." "It comes in real handy, but it sure scares folks." "Do you like working the mines ?" "I never really thought about it." "Most everybody around here works in the mine." "Always have." "I reckon your folks lust want something better for you." "And maybe they worry about you being different." "It can be hard sometimes." "Some people get real upset about it." "Mr. Kirkland says that it's not all that rare." "Who's Mr. Kirkland ?" "He works for the government." "He has some research proiect he wants me to join up with." "He says it's sort of like a Peace Corps for the people with special powers." "Really ?" "Sounds interesting." "He says it's just getting started." "I like helping people and I reckon God gave me these powers for a reason." " Only..." " Only what, Sam ?" "I don't know." "This here's my home, Ms. LeBeau." "This is where I belong." "I don't really want to go anywhere else." "I can't say as I blame you, Sam." "He's a good kid, Hank." "I think he'd lust like to stay here in Kentucky with his family." "Sam does say a guy's been hanging around, offering him some sort of government scholarship." "He says it's a kind of Peace Corps for mutants." "Odd." "I have never heard of anything remotely like that." "We shall have to investigate." "And I think I'll take an extra day of vacation just in case." "We were unable to link the name LeBeau with anyone in the files, sir." "But a facial geometry scan turned up some leads." "Operations is 90% certain that's our girl." "Who is she and what's she doing here ?" "We only have a codename, sir." "Rogue." "She's been seen at several flashpoint situations." "She turned up in the Wideawake data as part of the mutant team called the X-Men." "Has she left the area yet ?" " Surveillance says no." " See that she does." "One way or the other." "Blast !" "Another dead end." "Gambit has filled me in on this supposed mutant Peace Corps." "Have you found anything ?" "The phone number Kirkland gave Sam led me through several relay stations, until I finally wound up with an office building in Richmond." "Except that no one owns the building." "And there are no records that it has been occupied this decade." "Yet the power usage for that grid sector is three times the local average." "It has the trappings of a renegade operation." "Perhaps a more direct investigation is in order." "Sounds like your area, Gambit." "Where is the challenge to this still proud master thief ?" "Pop go the weasel." "This way too easy." "Either Gambit in the wrong place." "Or Gambit been set up." "Who's there ?" "If Gambit being arrested, don't he get one phone call ?" "You have ieopardized a very sensitive operation." "And I know you won't tell us how you learned of it." "What will we do with you ?" "Maybe you let me go with a warning." "No, I think our best option is to make you part of the team." " I'm not really the ioining type." " How fortunate." "Then you will provide a serious test of our new technique." "This mutant is not much of a physical specimen." "However, cybernetic implants in his central nervous system have placed his powers entirely under our control." "Hey !" "Watch it !" "You watch it, Guthrie !" "I heard you was making time with Shelly !" "What are you talking about ?" "What makes you think a piece of freak trash like you can even look at my girlfriend ?" "You're making a mistake." "Kenny, lay off !" "That's Sam !" "He saved your daddy in the mine !" "Get lost, Toby !" "This is between me and the freak-boy here !" "You heard me !" "You're nothing but trash, a stinking mutie !" "They ought to stick your kind in a zoo, before you poison the rest of us !" "Okay, you wanna settle this ?" "Come on !" "Careful, Kenny, I've seen what he can do." "I ain't touching no mutie !" "Might get infected !" "Just stay away from Shelly, freak !" "You and your whole freak family !" "I hate your kind !" "Sam, no !" "Did you see the look on that freak's face ?" "Fool, mutie !" "Kenny, do something !" "I can't do nothing !" "Cut it out, Guthrie, I'm sorry !" "You hear me, Sam ?" "I'm sorry !" "She's okay, Sam, I swear." "Come on, Paige." "Let's go home." "Just a little off the top, chère." "Gambit getting an upgrade ?" "Beast, Professor ?" "Who sang the lullaby ?" "I used my psychic abilities to suppress activity thus creating a cataleptic response." "You want to explain that one more time ?" "He put them to sleep faster than an economics lecture." "Normally, I find such invasions of the mind distasteful." "But in your case, I made an exception." "Gambit happy about that." "We've seen this before, boys." "The supports were weakened at the molecular level." "Do you have any mutants working around here ?" "What'd I tell you ?" "It's that Guthrie boy !" "Sam !" "What the heck's going on ?" "Sam !" "Yes." "You've made the right choice, Sam, we'll be right over." "We got him." "Warm up the chopper." "Remy !" "You're all right, you old swamp rat !" "If Gambit get this kind of welcome, he get captured more often." "Where is Sam Guthrie ?" "I reckon he went home." "We must find him before Kirkland does." "They want him for some sort of living weapons program to control his mind and use his powers." "Mutie !" "Get out of here !" " Come on out, Guthrie !" "Where's the boy ?" "He's gone !" "Scared off by folks he thought was his friends." "Look at you." "We've known each other since we was young'uns." "I worked beside you in the mines and shopped in your stores." "Y'all known Sam since the day he was born." "I'm sorry, Ed." "It ain't you or Ellen." "But that boy's brought nothing but trouble." "We don't want him in our town." "He killed my mares !" "You want to see the cause of your troubles ?" "You want to see a mutant ?" "There's your mutants !" "Get out of town !" "We don't want you in our town !" "Looks like we're too late, Professor." "Let's teach these muties a lesson !" "Get out of here !" "Everything will be all right, Sam." "Don't worry." "I wish I was that sure." "Leaving my family like that." "Don't trouble yourself about them, Sam." "We'll make sure they're safe." "You've got to be tough with criminals." "But that's Charles Xavier." "I've seen him on TV with the President !" "And Hank McCoy." " They ain't terrorists." " Yes they are, son." "And you are going to help us put a stop to them !" "What are you doing ?" "I don't understand !" "No !" "Scramble the shock troops." "Bring him back !" "Get out of town." "We don't want you in our town." "Let's see if we can scare them off !" "Get out..." "What's going on ?" "What's he doing here ?" "They're coming !" "Who's coming, Sam ?" "Are you okay ?" "They're after me !" "And you !" "You all got to get out of here !" "What's going on over here ?" "What's this all about, Sam ?" "It's all a trick !" "They're trying to kidnap me !" "You best have proof before you start..." "Keep them away from the civilians !" "No time for analysis..." "Leave us alone !" " Send in Unit One." " He's not ready yet, sir." "That wasn't a suggestion." "We can't win this." "Recall them." "He's alive." "I'll get my kit." "Sam, where you going ?" "I got me a train to catch !" "Evac in six minutes, sir." "Hodge was right about the X-Men." "Their elimination lust became our top priority." "I'm sorry you all have to pack up and move." "It ain't fair, is it ?" "Come on, y'all." "You don't have to go." "Sam, I can talk to them others." "It'll get better, I swear !" "Thanks, Toby." "But I'm afraid this town will never be the same." "Shame, too." "My family's lived here in Cumberland for six generations." "Sam, I would like you to know that you will always have a home at our school." "I appreciate that, sir, especially, after the trouble I put you all through." "But, for now, I need to stay with my family and help build us a new home." "Somewhere where none of this matters." "I owe you a special apology, ma'am." "I know now how much you were looking out for me." "Thanks, Rogue." "I mean, Ms. LeBeau." "Uh..." "You're welcome, Sam." "You take care now." "When's the honeymoon, Ms. LeBeau ?" "Not one word, swamp rat !" "Not one word !" "I know he's watching." "He wants you and Jean." "He has the professor." "He..." "Come on, batface !" "Show yourself !" "Gotcha, shorty." "Careful with Summers and Miss Grey."