A dozen or so students filed out of Jean Grey's classroom, passing Professor Charles Xavier who greeted them each as they proceeded to their next classes. The bald man waited patiently in his hover-chair for the last of them to go by before mentally urging the silent chair into her classroom. The lean, red-haired beauty, one of his first students and longest-tenured X-Men, was stacking papers while an eraser moved, seemingly of its own volition, over the chalkboard behind her. Jean was a powerful telepath and telekinetic, and was multitasking again. Charles smiled with pride; he had taught her well. She noticed his entry and beamed at him.
"Professor," she said, greeting him formally. "So nice to see you. How can I help you?"
"I've asked Storm to join us," he replied. "She should be here any second." As if on cue, Ororo Munroe, a mocha-skinned, gorgeous woman codenamed Storm, came into Jean's classroom. "Ah, here she is."
"I heard your summons, Charles," she said. "I got here as soon as I could."
"Now that you're both here," he said, maneuvering so he could face them both, "I'm sending you both on a mission." The women looked at each other and back to Charles as he continued. "Cerebro has picked up a very powerful mutant signature, but I'm having a bit of a problem identifying who it might be."
"Where is it coming from," asked Jean.
"JFK," he replied. "I'm deducing that this mutant has only recently arrived in the country. I've not felt this signature before, but I want you two to take a car down there and see if you can't make contact."
"Do you think they might be hostile," asked Storm. Jean nodded her approval of the question.
"I'm uncertain," said Charles, "however, there are no police reports or any other indications that would lead me to make that conclusion." The two X-Men glanced at each other. "I'm sending you both just to be safe. I can think of few threats the two of you would be unable to handle." The ladies smiled at the compliment. "See if you can't persuade this individual to return with you, and I can better evaluate him or her once they're here."
"You got it, Professor," said Jean. Turning to Storm, she smiled and, in unison, they said, "Road trip!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man stood patiently in the line for Customs at JFK. He was not in a hurry, like so many of the people whose minds he could sense around him. He was also not nervous, like so many of them were. Most of the faces he could see around him had been on the same flight from Cairo on which he had arrived, and most were Egyptian like him, or of some other middle-eastern descent. America had not been the most welcoming place to people who looked like he did, especially young men. His papers were all in order. He was not taking any unnecessary chances, having saved and planned so long to get to New York. Besides, he had chosen a line with a young woman working the booth, so he would have an advantage if he needed it.
"Next in line," she yelled in his direction. He approached her glass enclosure and set down his brief case.
"Hello," he said, handing her his passport. His voice was a smooth baritone and he spoke with a mild, British accent. The woman took his passport mechanically, opened it to check the photo, glanced up at the young man, and stopped everything. He smiled radiantly at her, his perfect white teeth standing out against his black, closely-trimmed moustache and goatee and his smooth, olive-skinned face. His bright, green eyes twinkled at her under strong brows. "How are you today?"
"F-Fine," she stammered. "No, good. I mean, not 'no good', but good, really good." Her cheeks were flushing as she continued to embarrass herself, wondering why she was all of a sudden smitten like she was still in middle-school. "What are you doing here? I mean, what is the purpose of your visit?" She couldn't break away from his intelligent, friendly eyes; and those lashes. She swallowed hard.
"Oh, pleasure, I assure you," he said in a conspiratorial purr, leaning in a little closer and propping his strong chin on one well-manicured hand. She tittered involuntarily, before catching herself and trying desperately to regain her composure. He diminished the mutant effect he was having on her so she could at least pretend to focus on his paperwork. She seemed to shake it off a little, breaking away from his gaze and returning to his paperwork.
"Ah, er, yes," she said, shuffling his paperwork around and steeling her nerves. She had been getting a little damp, and would have plenty to think about tonight when she fingered herself to orgasm. "Mister, um, SaĆd. How long is it?" She looked up in embarrassment the second the words were out of her mouth. His eyebrows were arched, but the amused look was still there. "Your visit! How long is your visit?"
"Ah, yes," he said, thoroughly enjoying her discomfort. She was attractive enough for normal men, probably very pretty under their standards, but he was not a normal man. "At least a month, I should think. Perhaps more; I'm applying to a university upstate." She was stamping the various pages and documents by now, her hands shaky but falling into their usual rhythm. She didn't dare to look up again.
"Oh? Which one," she asked casually, handing him back his papers.
"Xavier Institute," he replied. He retrieved his brief case, gave her a wink with that wicked grin, and left, feeling her eyes on his retreating form.
Jean and Storm had parked the passenger van in short-term parking and were slowly walking the concourse toward the security area where international passengers emerged into the regular portion of the terminal. Jean was linked with Xavier's awareness of the mutant's location through the massive Cerebro device which amplified the Professor's mutant ability to detect other mutants. The person they were trying to find should only be a few hundred feet ahead, but in the crowded airport, they could be as close as five feet before they knew it.
Not being a known combat situation, the ladies had dressed in comfortable upscale clothes befitting the posh, suburban professionals they were supposed to be. Jean had a jade, button-up, silk blouse and a matching knee-length skirt that accentuated her hair color and showed off her shapely legs. Ororo wore off-white, sleeveless top and matching slacks, with a chocolate belt which hung loose around her slender waist. The luxuriant fabric glowed in contrast to her cocoa skin, her white mane completing a very striking image. The two beautiful women were drawing many appreciative looks from the men in view of them. Jean was vaguely aware of random, salacious thoughts that were forefront in many of their minds. She had to open her normally impenetrable defenses somewhat to facilitate the link with the Professor.
"Anything, Jean," Storm asked as she scanned faces coming toward them.
"We're close," she replied. "Any time now." They walked maybe ten more feet before the crowd parted just right and they saw him. Both women stopped and admired the sight. He was probably 6'3", maybe 200 pounds, in a charcoal gray business suit with his suit jacket slung casually over one shoulder and a nice leather briefcase in the other hand. He was gorgeous, with a lean, angular face, and one of those haircuts that looked like he didn't even try, but came off spectacularly. His broad shoulders and muscular arms filled the tailored shirt and his stylish ruby tie pointed right down to his crotch.
In her head, Jean 'heard' the Professor say,
"What's that, Jean? I'm having trouble sensing what's happening."
Jean had been staring at the bulge in the young man's pants as he strutted toward them, and she had nearly lost the delicate control required to maintain the link.
"We found him, Professor,"
she told him.
"We're fine. I'm closing down the link."
She didn't need the Professor, the man who had essentially raised her, to be monitoring her thoughts while she ogled a young stranger.
Storm turned to look at Jean, mouthing, "Wow," silently at Jean. Jean gave her a subtle glare and motioned her head to get Storm to focus on the mission. Storm gave her a guilty smile and turned back to face the tall, dark stranger.
"I presume you ladies are looking for me," he said as he stopped a respectable yard away from Storm. She found his smooth, resonant voice to be very pleasing, and extended her hand in greeting.
"I'm Professor Munroe," she said, "and this is Professor Grey," she said indicating Jean who had come up next to her. His soft hands were strong and warm, and she almost didn't let go when Jean reached out to shake his hand.
Even with her defenses back in place, Jean could feel this young man's presence with her telepathic awareness; this was a very powerful mutant, just as the Professor had predicted. She took his hand in a polite handshake and felt an almost electric tingle run up her arm. It was not telepathic, but something that was pleasurable and subtle. Her heart skipped a beat, in the same way it had when she had first met Logan. This man had an animal magnetism that was unmistakable.
"As-salÄmu Źæalaykunna," he said, greeting them both. "My name is Omar SaĆd. I'm very pleased to finally meet you both." The women glanced at each other in mild surprise. "I apologize if my familiarity has offended you. I know that for most of the world, you are not known to them as anything but educators, but for those like us," he said, indicating Jean Grey, "you and your colleagues are quite renowned. I have been looking forward to this since my gifts were bestowed upon me." He released Jean's hand finally, as it seemed she might not of her own volition.
"Then you're a telepath," she asked, "like me?"
"An empath," he replied. "I can feel what others are feeling. It's not as informative as telepathy, and communication is limited to expressions of feeling, rather than words. It is, however, less intrusive."
"Less intrusive," Storm asked. "I don't see how feeling their feelings could even be intrusive." Omar looked at Jean before choosing his words.
"Normally," he said, "those I am in empathic contact with, have no idea that I can feel them." Jean was nodding her agreement with the description. "But by focusing outward, I can also alter their emotions." He seemed almost embarrassed at the admission. Storm looked at Jean, realizing the implications.