Marvel Retold: X-Men, Part Nine
Samuel Drake: Oh dear lord, we’re too late.
[More loud knocks at the door]
Voice: Sam! We know your boy’s a mutant! We’re takin’ him to jail!
Samuel: Is that Clem?
Voice: Yeah!
Samuel: You brought me back my mower that you borrowed three weeks ago?
Clem: … no, I, uh…
Samuel: Then you can’t have my boy!
Clem (quietly to others): Dammit, he got me there. Jesse, you take a shot.
Jesse: Sam, c’mon, now… you know this’s the right thing t’do. We can’t have mutants in our town, it ain’t right! Ain’t natural!
Samuel: You know what ain’t natural? That rug you been wearin’ since 1991!
[Crowd chuckles, jeers, Jesse shuts up]
Claudine Drake: Sam, sooner or later they’re just going to break down our door! We have to get Bobby out of here!
Samuel: They’ve got us cornered, my love, our only chance is if I can defuse the situation with my patented brand of observational humor and one-liners!
Bobby Drake: No, dad, that’s Jerry Seinfeld you’re thinking of. Again.
Samuel: Oh, then we’re screwed.
[Banging on the door resumes, intensified]
Claudine: Bobby, I’m so sorry… this shouldn’t be happening… we should’ve left this horrible town years ago!
Bobby: Why didn’t we, Mom?
Claudine: I’m deep in debt to our sewing circle, sweetheart.
Bobby: Mom! You SWORE you were off the yarn!
Claudine [covering her face]: I can’t help it! Moss stitch fo’ life!
Samuel: They’re almost inside! I’ll hold ’em off as long as I can!
[Door is broken off its hinges, Samuel immediately goes down]
Bobby: Dad! Why can’t you bastards leave us alone!
[The temperature drops 15 degrees as Bobby raises his hands, snow forming in his palms. Men run into the room, shouting angrily; are pelted in their faces by snowballs. The front invaders fall to the floor, tripping up those behind them.]
Bobby: Mom! Check on Dad!
[Bobby retreats into the kitchen, is grabbed from behind by someone in from the back door. Bobby puts his hand up, groping blindly behind him, makes contact with the man’s face and ices it over. The man lets go with a muffled scream, but more men pile into Bobby, bearing him to the floor. A man’s voice shouts from far away once, twice. A gunshot splits the noise. Everyone falls still.
[The sheriff stands in the center of the Drake living room, hand with gun still held aloft, the other hand supporting Claudine, who is on the floor, tending to Samuel’s head wound.]
Sheriff McAuley: This is how we’re doing things now? Rule of law suspended?
Clem: Sheriff, the Drake boy’s a MUTANT!
Sheriff: That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have rights, Clem. The hell’s wrong with you?
Voice in the back: Rights are for HUMANS!
Sheriff: Well, when you can show me where that’s written, I’ll apologize to you. Until then, you idiots get off of Bobby right got-damn NOW.
[Sullen mumbling from the crowd]
Jesse: But he froze my boy with his weird powers!
Sheriff [Walking over to help Bobby to his feet]: Well, knowing Rocky as I do, Jesse, I’d be willing to bet there’s two sides to that story. Bobby, you OK?
Bobby: I guess so.
Sheriff: OK. I know you’ve been through a lot, son, and I hate to do this, but I’m taking you in to the station.
Claudine: On what charge?
Sheriff: If I’d a mind to, I could make a case for disrupting the peace, but to be honest, right now it’s probably the safest place for this young man.
Samuel: But for how long?
Jesse: Oh, he won’t be there long, Sam, you got my word on that.
Samuel: You even THINK of going near my son again —
Sheriff: CAN IT, you two. Believe me, this ain’t ideal for anyone. But it’s what we’re doing until I can get some guidance. C’mon, Bobby, get your coat. The rest of you, clear out. Someone’s paying for that busted door; I’ll leave it to you to sort it out.
[Samuel and Claudine embrace Bobby, who hugs them back, hard]
Samuel: Son, I’m sorry this is happening. I hope you… I hope you don’t blame us for this.
Bobby: It’d be really easy, Dad, but no, none of this is your fault.
Claudine: And you know it’s not YOUR fault either, right, sweetheart?
Bobby: I… I don’t know. Isn’t it?
TO BE CONTINUED, TRUE BELIEVERS
