The X-Project

Just got the call in, the Blackbird's about ten minutes from arrival. Everyone's up and accounted for, including Cyclops. Storm says to prep medical, Fearless Leader might not be bleeding out both ears but he's going to need some patching up.

I'm on comms, so someone needs to go shoo the kids out of the backyard and get them inside. Someone run down, grab Voght, and prep medical for a quick arrival. Once we know he's stable, we'll break the news to everyone.

For the record, anyone who bet against me when I said "I can get every kid in this Elementary History class to pass the state exam" - you've just lost.

Thirteen out of thirteen passing grades just back from the state educational office here on my desk. Every one of these little anklebiters (and the one six-foot tall purple-haired one) scored above 70%.

Those who can't do, teach, huh? Looks like this old fart can do.

This weekend makes the, what, third time we've had Evil Creatures From Dimension X attack in the past year? We've had commando raids, mob ambushes, a bunch of folks getting whisked off to Fantasyland, and a handful of kids have blown up.

Did I miss anything?*

Point being, this last weekend was the first time I saw these kids handle things RIGHT. At least the group I had out back, none of 'em tried to be a hero, no one tried anything stupid when they recognized shit was going to get out of hand. They heard the call to fall back, and not a one of them gave any lip.

So I've been looking at the new school layout, and evacuation plans are still being based off the old blueprints. At least one of those shafts that leads into the tunnels can't be used since last year's commando raid, and two others I'd seal off due to exhaust venting from the jet hangar. But there's still a lot of good safe havens should something like this happen again, from whatever nifty surprise we've got coming. There's a few storage rooms on the same level as the medlab that we aren't using, those can be converted into shelters if need be. The old fruit shed, if it's not in need of being demolished, could be shored up and the cellar there could be set up the same way. Hell, even the boathouse has a small basement room that could do, should folks be out that way when trouble hits. I suggest land-line phones on a closed system between all the locations, something that's going to allow communication without anyone worrying about what's going on outside.

Point I'm trying to make - this wasn't as bad as it could have been, because no one got hurt. Except for Rasputina, who from all records these guys were going after. Kids got out of it unscathed because they high-tailed it to safe ground. I ain't one for bringing back the old air raid drills (if anyone but me and Chuck is old enough to remember those), but given the state of the school - a safety drill in case of crisis is as necessary as those fire drills we run every three months. The old drills, so far as what I can tell from the files on the Stryker attack, didn't work because too many kids weren't familiar with them, and they got nabbed. Get it down to a regular drill, and they'll know what to do without having to feel like they're living in a war zone.

I ain't going to name names**, but some of these kids did DAMN good. Cooler heads than I saw on some guys I served with under fire. Not sure what that says about them that they're this jaded before they even hit 18 - but they held their shit together. Figure it's a good habit to get everyone into, keeping cool heads.

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*That was rhetorical.
**Except for Miss Colbert, who's got one hell of a knack for applied architecture in a crisis.

How did two students manage to DISAPPEAR out from under you people? Everyone's walking around on pins and needles because apparently two of the latest batch of runaways managed to get themselves in some trouble. Yeah, so everyone agrees the kids around here tend to overreact, but when you've got Chuck's giant mutant brain finder in the basement and the X-Army with the friggin' attack jet in the basement, and you're sitting around with your thumbs up your collective asses?

What? The X-Men only get involved when there's a PR opportunity to be had? No wonder none of these kids trust you.

So I made a few calls, and managed to pick up these old-style closed-circuit pagers on the cheap. I think I've got them all set up through the phone system, and mine seems to work well. So if any of the emergency or on-call people on the staff (the doctors, counselors, or anyone else that may have an emergency... I don't know, poetry reading) want one, come by and see me. They'll respond to a numeric code dialed from any phone in the mansion or on the grounds. They're not as fancy as the cell phones everyone seems to have, but they're a lot faster and you don't waste time chatting if there's an emergency.

That being said, some of the students have been raising a ruckus (a minor one, mind you) about who's "staff" and who's not. And I can see their confusion, especially when a lot of the people who're supposed to be teaching them and acting as role models decide to piss off and just go take impromptu vacations for a few days. (Not you, Marie, at least you planned yours on a weekend) Is it any wonder the kids don't have a lot of respect for your authority? Most of you ain't given them any reason to.

When Rasputin drags his ass back here after he's done having a good cry or whatever he's off doing, people ought to sit their asses down and figure out just who's supposed to be teaching these kids. For a bunch of children who could use some dependability and stability, those "adults" who can't even stick around for a month at a time got no business taking charge of these students.

Chuck! Alison! Miss Gavin! ANYONE! Can someone be spared from whatever Super Secret Double-Probation X-Militia meeting you've got going and give me a hand giving these kids something to DO? I'm in the ballroom with about eight or nine rugrats that only come up to my knee all wanting to help paper over bulletholes and fix broken furniture.

Thank god, the older students are showing up. I believe one of them is trying to put your Louis XVIII chair back together with Elmer's Glue, Chuck. Send help.

I'm going to be out of town for about a week, doing a favor for some people. Chuck, you and I already talked about this, everything's authorized and they'll have me back by the beginning of next week.

News says there's a series of mild snowstorms coming in, the grounds should be fine as long as someone shovels the walks. I don't recommend letting the students ice-skate on the pond, it hasn't been cold enough yet to freeze sufficiently.

On another note - there's this misconception that I'm supposed to be some sort of role model or authority figure for the children around here. Anyone who keeps expecting that is going to remain sorely disappointed. And if people have trouble with the way I talk to kids who have no respect for this house, then someone needs to teach them some discipline. I'd think the teachers would have that under control, but you're too busy nailing each other to the goddamn fencing mat in front of a bunch of admiring little sadists who think it's the best entertainment since Nintendo.

The next time someone opens their mouth and tries to say I'm "setting a bad example", get it through your skull that I'm not here to set any example - that's YOUR job. And you're obviously doing a bang-up job so far, so I'm happy to leave you to it.

Doc Mactaggart - I'll drop you an email if I can from the road, like I said I would.