This first story reprints X-Men (1st series) #134.
Second Story:
(flashback)
A middle-aged woman says: ” You know that you’ll have trouble finding work with, uh, your disability. Maybe you should take some sort of vocational classes... ?”
(present)
Though at Xavier’s school, for some time now, Kurt Wagner has only now begun to explore lower New York City. As he walks the streets, his demonic looks disguised with a trenchcoat and a large hat, he thinks about Scott not having been exaggerating when he described the city. It’s as if it is a different country every few blocks, with every race and culture intermixed. A gathered crowd catches Kurt’s attention. He reasons there must be something amazing going on to attract that many people just before rush hour, and he wonders if it’s really coincidence that they have stopped at the same place he was heading.
Kurt gets a little bit closer and sees that in the center of the crowd there is a teenage girl breakdancing, while swinging around a cane. Leaning next to the wall, in front of her ghetto blaster, there is a crutch. Kurt notes that her dance is so frantic that the crowd has to keep shifting. In all his years with the circus, Kurt thought he had seen all acrobatic dances, but never has he witnessed something so full of temperament and free as this – and on top of it all, the girl is doing it on just one leg, her left lower leg missing. Still marveling about the girl’s performance, Kurt also becomes aware that, with everyone continually lurching back and jostling each other, the crowd doesn’t notice a bunch of pickpockets stealing their wallet. Kurt yells for the thieves to stop and, immediately, they run away. Passing the dancing girl, the pickpockets’ leader whispers to her to forget about the boombox, but she answers to look after himself and that they’ll meet the same place tonight.
(flashback)
“You’d make more friends if you’d take pride in your appearance. I’m sorry I don’t have as much time for you now, with your dad gone, but I’ll try to make it up to you. We can do your hair, go downtown and get you some things...”
(present)
While the people of the crowd run after the thieves, the handicapped girl thinks to herself that everyone is ignoring her, as usual. She grabs her crutch and leaps over a railing into the entrance to a subway station. Just another second and she will be safe. However, Nightcrawler too jumps down the stairs and once more marvels at the girl, who didn’t even hesitate before the jump. Kurt thinks that he will catch her in the rush of commuters, but the girl leaps over the passenger waiting in line. Rather naively, Kurt thinks that someone will see her jumping the turnstile and raise an alarm, but the people waiting are all lost in their own thoughts. Waiting for the incoming train, the girl thinks about the guy who chased her down the stairs and that they were doing good business until he started yelling.
(flashback)
“I’ll give you some money, then, so you can go shopping by yourself. Be careful, now. You know how I worry that strangers will take advantage of you.”
(present)
As the train comes in, the girl is already thinking about tomorrow being Friday, meaning lots of people will be carrying cash. Suddenly, she is startled by Nightcrawler teleporting in right next to her. She shouts for him to get away from her and slips past a few other people into the train. Kurt goes after her and says that it’s not what she thinks. During the ride, he tells her how impressed he was by her shows and that he is not from this country but has never seen moves like hers. Kurt continues that his teacher would be interested in talking to her, but the girl showing only little interest says that he would have to contact her agent. That said, she gets out of the train that has already reached the next stop. Kurt calls for her to wait, but she doesn’t listen and, as several passengers get in his way, Kurt thinks to himself how embarrassing it all is as he is supposed to be the agile one.
(flashback)
“Watch out for yourself. Be sure to come straight home this time.”
(present)
Kurt runs up the stairs and sees the girl run off between those buildings. He chases after her, but it’s a blind alley. As there is no hiding spot, he reasons that she must have entered one of the buildings through an open window, but he has no time to check which one, as he finds himself face to face with a local gang. The four youths ask him what he is up to, breaking and entering? Kurt replies that he was following someone, a young woman, but immediately realizes that it was the wrong thing to say. The four teens attack him and, confident in his powers, Kurt thinks that he will make it quick and as painless as possible. After all, he is intruding on their turf and they are not carrying weapons or anything. But soon, Kurt finds that he was too arrogant, his camouflage outfit having certain disadvantages. The large hat blocks his sights and two of the teenagers grab his coat.
(flashback)
“Those kids you’ve been hanging around with... they look to me like they’re in some gang! I hope you’ve got sense enough to steer clear!”
(present)
Kurt’s pulled to the floor and the teenagers start to beat him up with their fists and a large chunk of wood. Kurt thinks to himself that he never trained in the Danger Room wearing a bulky coat, and also that he is somewhat holding back as he fears to hurt the youths. Still, he needs to get out of the situation and, with there being no room to maneuver. He needs to pull the fight closer, Kurt decides, grabbing one boy by the hair.
Up above, sitting on a fire escape, the girl is observing the fight. She thinks that usually she’d mind her own business, but these guys have been giving her grief lately. Though the weirdo, as she calls Kurt, is doing pretty well, it looks like he might need a hand and this might be her only chance to kick the guys’ butts. She jumps down from her hiding spot and lands perfectly on her single foot, holding her crutch in one hand and the cane in the other.
(flashback)
“You’re good on that crutch, sure, but don’t you think you take too many chances?”
(present)
The girl swings around the crutch, hitting one of the gang members in the face. Kurt uses this opening to get back up and is unsure whether to curse her or to thank her. Together, they quickly finish the four teenagers and the girl says that he shouldn’t go walking into alleys, as people can be rough on him. Kurt answers that he was wondering for how much longer she was going to stay up there. The girl asks what his problem is and why he keeps following her.
(flashback)
“Please do more to help out around here. Your little brother and I are always picking up after you.”
(present)
Kurt repeats how her dancing impressed him and that he wants to talk about it with her. He asks why she did get him beaten up, and the girls asks in return how she is supposed to trust a guy who is following her and appears in a puff of smelly smoke. As they walk out of the alley, Kurt admits that the teens surprised him and that he might wave been hurt if not for the girl jumping into the fight. He congratulates her on her excellent sense of balance. The girl responds that it’s one of things one learns when he has to. However, she too was impressed, as he probably would have dealt with the gang even if she hadn’t intervened.
Pointing at his costume underneath the coat, the girl asks if that outfit means he is one of the Avengers. Kurt shakes his head, though he is in the same line of work he says. Kurt explains that he and his friends are called the X-Men and they attend a school for people with mutant powers, extraordinary gifts people are born with. The girl is not convinced and thinks that he is making it up, but Kurt leaps before her and asks her to hear him out. He reveals that they have a device called Cerebro that detects mutations in a person’s genetic make-up, and that its signal alerted led him to a powerful mutant nearby – her.
(flashback)
“I don’t want you bringing those creeps home with you. All of you – clear out! Now!!”
(present)
Walking through China Town, Kurt tells the breakdancer that he followed her because he was concerned; her friends are thieves and, sooner or later, they’ll get into trouble living that way when the police gets involved. The girl doesn’t see his point. After all, the others are just like her; roadies, while she puts on a great show, and the uptown folks surely can afford to have their wallets stolen once in a while. She also claims that they are honest as they only keep the cash, but not the credit cards. Kurt tries to explain her the difference between performance and endowment and tells her of his upbringing in Bavaria with a family of Circus performers before coming to the States. The girl asks whether he left because they gave him grief, but Kurt says it’s more complicated than that. Circus folk always stick together, but he was forced to leave after a tragedy that ended with his foster brother’s death.
(flashback)
“So you don’t like the way we do things around here, hey? Well, I don’t like your attitude!”
(present)
Kurt asks himself that if he had been a better brother, things might have turned out differently, and they would still be living in Europe. But, as it happened at the time, he was contacted by the professor to join his school and quite a few others joined at the same time. There, Kurt is always meeting people from all over the world. The girl, however ,points out that they walked through half of the world while passing the few blocks they just have. Apparently, he doesn’t get out of the school too much, she reasons.
(flashback)
“You want to go, then go. Who’s going to take care of you out there? Those worthless friends of yours?”
(present)
Kurt and the girl are in the back area of a Chinese restaurant. While cleaning a minor injury on Kurt’s cheek, Mrs. Wah asks why the kids can’t stay out of trouble for a week. Holding up a few boxes, the girl thanks her for the food, before the woman tells them to leave as she needs to finish closing up.
In a park, the two mutants sit down on a bench to eat the food. The girl thanks Kurt for being straight with her, but she says she doesn’t need his sympathy. She knows how to keep herself from falling over, her meals are taken care of and she has got friends from all over the world. Right on cue, the gang of pickpockets appear all around the bench.
(flashback)
“You think you can just show up around here when you’re in trouble?! Get out!!”
(present)
The girl tells Kurt that his way sounds nice, but so boring. This is her family and her school. Everything he talks about, she’s got it too. Of course, sometimes the cops have to help them with the really weird stuff, but other than that she is doing fine and she doesn’t want to be part of any prep school. As Kurt gets up, however, she tells him to keep in touch, as they might have an opening. Kurt thanks her for the offer and, if it is about real street performing, he is tempted to accept. They could put out his hat and work for donations, rather than pinching wallets. Walking away, he tells the girl she knows how to reach him if she would be interested.
After a while, it occurs to Kurt that he never had a chance to tell the girl what the X-Men really do, and she probably must think them to be a finishing school for circus artists. But, at least he’s still got time to catch the last train back to Westchester. During the ride home, Kurt thinks that he was rather lucky that the gypsies gave him a loving home and saved him what would have been a brutal life otherwise. Later that night, sitting alone in the mansion, Kurt writes a latter about how, until Stefan’s death, he never knew what the alternative would have been and he regrets that there are so many things he never told his foster family. However, he knows that it’s just another letter he won’t send, as his foster mother, Margali, still thinks he deliberately murdered Stefan.
Meanwhile, back in Manhattan, the girl checks if anyone is around before heading to a local phone. She dials a number and, once the call is picked up, she greets her mom. She tells her that she is still mad, but asks how she and the kid are doing...
