Marbles and Water (Micah)

“-Bennington. Micah Bennington.”

Micah took a deep breath. Another interview with another cop, and each interview had continued to fray the young man’s mind a little more. I really should be getting back to the Mansion. What if the staff is angry at me for getting the NYPD involved in all this before contacting the X-men?

Micah brushed his hair out of his eyes. It’s okay, you can do this Micah. Just one more interview and then you can go. Hopefully. Just remember to stay calm and don’t ramble too much. These are police officers and they don’t have time for you to go on meaningless tangents.

“I arrived at the restaurant at about a quarter to eleven. I sat down at the bar and ordered the first thing that looked reasonably edible on the menu; a cheeseburger sub with fries and a pickle on the side. My meal came, and then I studied World Economics for about an hour while the lard from my french fries encased itself to my veins.”

Just get to the robbery, Micah. He doesn’t care about what you ordered. You think you’d have realized this after giving no less than thirteen statements.

“Sometime around noon I had to, um, well… nature called. Most have been all that soda I drank. So I went to the men’s restroom. And that went, well, how it normally goes, but then I’m standing in line to use the sink, right? And I know you’re supposed to wash your hands for twenty seconds to kill 99.9% of bacteria, but this guy in front of me just isn’t moving away from the sink. So I stand there, trying to be patient because, I don’t know, maybe he’s some sort of germaphobe and needs to take extra time to make sure he’s clean. And I’m a patient guy, so I figure I’ll just let him take his time. But then after about two minutes of me just standing there awkwardly behind this random guy in the bathroom, I decide to say something to him so I say ‘Hi, do you mind if I use the sink quickly?’ But he doesn’t respond. So then I think the guy is just germaphobic and deaf. So I give him another minute at the sink but then he still doesn’t move. So I look around the rest of the restroom, hoping I’m not the only guy in there who has noticed the guy not moving at the sink. It’s only then I realize that no one else in the bathroom is moving.”

“So now I figure some sort of weird mutant thing is going on, so I crouch down and sneak out of the bathroom to investigate.” I hope he doesn’t judge me for not washing my hands. “The bathrooms are off in a corner of the restaurant, in a little alcove that separates the restrooms from the rest of the diner. As soon as I’m out of the bathroom I know something is wrong. Every patron I can see from where I’m crouching is dead still, just like the three men in bathroom. Except for this little girl, who I can’t see but can definitely hear crying. Then I hear a man’s voice, telling the little girl to shut the hell up, which of course only makes her cry harder. He apologizes and says that he’ll buy her that puppy she wanted if she uses his power just one more time today to help him rob some place called ‘Logan’s Vegetarian House’. She cries some more and tells him she doesn’t want to do this anymore, at which point he says ‘our five minutes are up’ and I hear them both run out the front door. I stand up as soon as I hear them leave but only catch sight of the little girl. She’s looked to be about 14 years old, and she had curly red hair and bright blue shoes. Just seconds after they left, everyone in the restaurant just started moving again as if nothing had happened. But then they noticed that all their wallets and purses were gone, so the police were called and the rest is, well, the rest I’m sure you already know.”

After what seemed like hours to Micah he was finally able to stop talking.

Oh, and the girl’s power probably didn’t affect me cause I’m a mutant who has a brain made of glass toys, Micah added silently to himself. I hope Detective Cervantes doesn’t ask any questions about that.

Ugggh… an official statement that needed to be taken all the way at the station? So the other dozen times I recounted the events were just what… pretend? Micah always valued being a pretty patient individual, but this was getting a little ridiculous.

No Micah, he’s just doing his job. Micah wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shirt. It’s just the heat. You know how sunlight makes you cranky.

Micah smiled. You have to give Detective Cervantes some credit, he thought. Of all the other police officers I told the story to, no one else had bothered asking why I, out of a restaurant full of people, was the only one unaffected by the mutant’s power. And he definitely noticed me squirm when he pressed the question. Maybe I should have said something to him rather than just staying mum.

Micah wished desperately he had a soda, even though his overconsumption of the delicious beverage was what led him to this predicament in the first place.

Huh. ‘Mutant Related Crimes Division’? That sounded pretty intense and professional. With a name like that, he’ll probably try and go out and try to arrest that crazy thief and the mutant girl himself. Luckily for him I’m going to go get the real professionals, the X-men, and have them take care of it.

Micah’s genius brain poked him with an inconvenient thought, which caused him to look up after Detective Cervantes. Though, unluckily for him, I’ve told him and every other officer here where and when the thieves are planning to strike next, meaning that guy is probably going to go stake the place out himself and get mind-blasted by some hormonal teenager.

Micah watched Detective Cervantes get into his car.

Crap, he’s going to get himself in danger with information I gave him unless I come up with some sort of genius plan fast. Think Genius-Brain, think think think. An idea came to him, and it was actually a pretty good one, even by genius standards.

“DETECTIVE CERVANTES!” Micah ran up to the Detective’s car just as it was about to pull away. Okay, so I possibly wasn’t entirely honest earlier, but before you go off anywhere, especially if you’re thinking of staking out Logan’s Vegetarian House, you have to listen. This girl is dangerous. If she’s being controlled by this man, there’s no telling what she’ll do with her power or who she’ll hurt, even if she doesn't want to. If things get out of hand with this girl, you’re going to need me with you because I’m…”

It’d just been a week since his mutation occurred. It was still a hard thing to talk about. You never knew who was going to find at you were a mutant and try to crack your skull open with a blunt object. That doesn’t matter Micah, it’s time to be brave….

“…because I’m a mutant, just like that teenage girl who’s being forced to use her powers. And I may be the only chance of stopping these robberies and more importantly, saving her. Please, if you’re thinking of staking out that restaurant Detective, take me with you.”

>>“Now that I’ve said my piece about how bad an idea this is, climb in.”

Micah smiled as he hopped into a cruiser. “It’s okay Detective, I’m a genius. I’m, well, not to toot my own horn, but I’m a master at making bad ideas work. It’s kind of what I do.”

Even though the ‘Registration Act’ days were past, Micah had still always thought that being a mutant was going to earn him a ride in police car. He just never imagined it would be in the passenger’s seat.

“Okay, so now that we’ve gotten passed me lying to you and a dozen other cops earlier, well, not so much lying but not telling the complete truth, here’s the rest of what I know. This girl’s power is probably psychic in nature. A few days ago I met a mutant empath whose power had no effect on me. She couldn’t even pick any emotions from me at all. So while it’s hard to say what exactly this girl is doing, it’s definitely neurological or psychic in nature if it had no effect on me.”

Micah winced. Ever since his mutation, he sort of dreaded this part of meeting new people, but given that he had already withheld information from the police once today, he knew it was better to come completely clean now rather than get caught in another lie later. Besides, this Detective was already putting a lot on the line bringing Micah along, so he deserved Micah’s complete honesty. “Before you need to ask, my power is to have a brain made of out marbles.”

Much to Detective Cervantes’s credit he didn't laugh at all when he heard about Micah’s power, and considering his parents had laughed for a full minute when he came out as a mutant to them, Detective Cervantes was alright in Micah’s book. He did make a joke about it by asking Micah if he was high, but Micah let that pass. Besides, even I think my power is the lovechild of some strange dream, and I’m the one who has it.

The car ride was nice to Micah. He was out of the direct sunlight, and being in a car actually excited Micah a little. His mothers had never owned any vehicles, which for the most part Micah had never minded. But there was something about driving through the streets of New York and not being tightly squeezed between two other people that Micah found relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable. The subway was great, but there was something about travelling aboveground and actually being able to see New York that underground travel couldn’t beat.

The only bad part of the car ride was the brief moment when Detective Cervantes had the radio on and some horrifically untalented woman started singing. Micah had no idea who she was, but he couldn't believe someone had put her on the radio. Luckily that was over pretty quickly.

Micah looked over at the Detective. Wow, Detective Cervantes is so quiet and intense. He must be really plotting his next move in capturing these thieves. I’d better just be quiet and let him think, I wouldn’t want to take his mind away from the task at hand. Besides, after talking to cops all day, I don’t mind having a few minutes to myself.

When Detective Cervantes started talking about mutants, Micah tensed a little. Oh no, I bet this guy had some run in with a mutant that killed his family and ripped his stomach open, and now he’s going to give me a speech of how he has to kill me just like the other muties he’s killed in order to seek revenge for his family. Crap, I hope he kills me quickly and leaves enough of my body behind so that my parents can recognize me. But then the conversation took a turn that Micah hadn’t expected.

“Wait, you’re, um, a mutant?”

“It’s okay Detective. I don’t like me being here either. But I like the abuse of a mutant’s powers, especially when that mutant is barely a teenager, even less.” Micah shuddered as he thought of that girl’s sobbing in the diner. “That girl sounded, I don’t know, desperate and powerless. No one should have to feel like that.”

Micah forced a smile. “Your power is pretty cool though. I mean, when you got all quiet after you said you were a mutant, I figured you had some embarrassing power, like shooting glue out of your eyeballs or being able to telepathically communicate with lice. But waterbending, that’s, um, pretty cool.”

So the Detective is a mutant too? That must’ve been hard, especially while being in the police force. His power could be useful though. Huh, I doubt there’s anything he can really do if that girl activates whatever power she has, but at least we have another weapon in our arsenal.

Micah leaned back in his seat. “The real wildcard in all this is the man. I mean, how does he avoid this girl’s power? And who is he? Judging by the way they interacted with each other, he’s likely a close family member, maybe even her father or her brother.”

Micah pulled down the visor. Now that the car wasn't moving, the sunlight was becoming a little much. Ugh, it’s way too hot in this car to just sit out here. Micah checked his watch. It was only 2:30. “I, um, doubt they’re going to hit this place until there are a lot of patrons to rob, which means this guy won’t strike until two or three hours from now. Do you want to go wait inside? Besides, this guy may not strike if he notices two people staking out the restaurant, and we’ll miss him entirely if he’s using a back entrance to gain access to the building. If we’re inside, we’ll be certain to see them the second they come.”

Micah undid his seatbelt. Also, I want some vegan ice cream.

Micah sat down and grabbed a menu excitedly. “No Detective, this place is great! Just look at the selection of vegan ice cream! All the flavors you could imagine! Carrot, celery, tomato, potato, watermelon, asparagus…” Micah stopped as he noticed Detective Cervantes get a little paler with each item Micah mentioned. Guess the Detective is solely a meat eater…

The blonde waitress bounced over. “So you’ll be having your usual then, Micah?”

“Yep! Three scoops of celery ice cream-”

“With just a kiss of peanut butter on top.” She smiled. “You’ve gotten the same thing since you were a teenage boy Micah, of course I have it memorized. How are your parents?”

“They’re good! Would you believe they’ll have been together for twenty-five years come September?”

The waitress smiled. “You don’t say. Hey, you send them in here. I think twenty-five years of happy commitment is worth a pair of free desserts.”

Micah laughed. “I’ll definitely pass that along to Cheryl. You know how cheap she is.”

“Hey, don’t be knockin’ on your mother,” she laughed as she batted Micah’s head with a menu, “you have to watch your money nowadays, seeing how the economy is so bad.” She turned to the Detective. “And what about you honey? You find anything on the menu you like?”

After the waitress left, Micah reached into his bag. He had a few hours to kill, so he might as well spend it catching up on his Latin. Halfway through opening the book, he paused. No Micah, just because you’re a mutant with super-memory doesn’t mean you can just turn into a robot programmed to learn. You’re a person, not a machine, and there’s another real person in front of you with a history that’s just as fascinating as anything you can find in a book. All you have to do is ask.

“So, um, Detective. You look like you’ve seen a lot. Do you um,” Oh God, this is going to sound so stupid and needlessly nosey, “do you have an interesting stories to tell?”

Micah nodded and let the Detective pretend he was simply too involved with his bread to continue the story. It was obviously a very personal and painful thing for the Detective, and it was clear he had been close to those men. Perhaps he was even one of them…

Micah shrugged. Oh well, I tried having a real human conversation. Guess it’s time to go back to being a super-genius. Micah unzipped his messenger bag and pulled back out his Latin Book. After all, Latin conjugation rules weren’t going to memorize themselves. He dug a spoon into his ice cream and was bombarded with vegetable bliss. God that’s good.

After Latin, Micah moved onto other fascinating subjects such as US History from 1975 to the present, Molecular Biology, and Electronics in the Digital Age, and while he got a lot of new information memorized, there was still no sign of a teenage girl with red curly hair or bright blue shoes.

After running out of books in his bag, Micah got bored. Against all odds, he decided to attempt just one more conversation with the brooding Detective. “I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed this, but there are just so many fascinating people in this city. Look at that woman over there. No, the one beside the giant tomato hanging from the ceiling. Yeah, her. She’s a supporting cast member of a hit Broadway play right now. I remember seeing her face in the newspaper. A lot of people are saying she’s going to go far in her career, maybe even star in her own show one day. And notice that guy, over by the door. He gives carriage tours in Central Park.” Micah chewed on his spoon absentmindedly. “You know, it’s amazing. Ever since I got this shiny mutant brain, I can’t help but remember everything, even faces. I used to be horrible at remembering faces, but now it doesn’t matter if it’s just once or even if it was a passing glance, I can’t never forget a face, or anything really. That scares me a little. It’s not human, you know? Like, look at the redheaded girl with the curls who just walked in-”

Micah stopped. Holy crap. “Detective Cervantes. The redheaded girl. With the blue shoes. She just entered the front door, but I don’t see any men with her…”