Nothing We Can Do (Open/Solo)

Austin scratched the back of his neck as he entered the kitchen. He opened the fridge, hoping to find some food to snack on that interested him, but he left disappointed with nothing but a water bottle. He was about to walk back the way he had came, uncapping the bottle and taking a large first gulp when he heard a collection of words coming the living room that caught his attention.

“We interrupt your scheduled programming to bring you a CNN News Alert.” A woman’s voice said through the tv, which was all Austin needed to steer him off course to the living room. He made it there just in time to see the flashing images of a building hallway reduced to rubble with the voiceover of the female reporter. “Tragedy struck just moments ago in Odessa, Texas, where an explosive was detonated inside of a shelter for mutants. Authorities have not been able to fully assess the situation but early estimates put the death toll well above 20 already, with over 50 likely to be injured, though we expect these numbers to rise. The bomber has been captured and taken into custody. He has been identified as Sean Winnik, a self-proclaimed “human elitist”, who does have a criminal history of incidents involving mutants.” Austin didn’t know how many people were in the room to begin with, but he was certain that the number had increased significantly since the woman began delivering her news.

The entire room was talking over itself. Some people were yelling, some were crying. Younger kids were unpredictable. Austin merely stood in silence. He had stopped leaning against the wall the moment he heard the news, and now focused only on learning more and regaining feeling in his feet.

“We have just received word that the majority of those residing in the shelter at the time were children who had been kicked out of their own homes. I believe I speak for the entire nation when I say that the horrors we are witnessing are truly unimaginable.” Silence followed as she searched for the proper words to speak with. “As more news of the situation arrives we will keep you informed, but until then our prayers go out to those affected by this Mutant Massacre.” The woman continued.

The world suddenly made Austin sick. He rubbed the teenage stubble growing on his face and felt his mind at work. His mom had always told him how monstrous mutants were. How dangerous they were, so much so that a man with a wife and an infant son could be killed nonchalantly by a mutant’s lapse of attention to suppressing their abomination. But this? How was this any different than his father’s death? No, this was different. This was intentional, calculated. This was hateful. The entirety of the world shifted for Austin in that moment. Mutants aren’t the evil. Mutants weren’t the ones slaughtering innocent human children. If anyone should be ashamed to be what they are after this it should be the humans.

Watching the devastation, Austin underwent another change. He thought about all of the people affected by this; all of the children who had their lives robbed of them by blind, ignorant hatred. Kids younger than he was. He didn’t know why, but somehow he felt responsible. He slept in this morning, and they probably couldn’t find sleep all night on the hard floor. He had already downed his entire water bottle, and he knew first hand that they would’ve gone hours before finding a water fountain in their travels. He walked into a marble kitchen moments ago for a snack, and in that same moment they were killed. He had no right to feel sorry for himself.

His mind continued to race. Emotions fueled him. A quiet tear began to make its way down his face, followed by another. Though he hadn’t yet noticed he had shot up six inches in his sorrow and rage.

There were too many kids out there going through what he went through, far younger and far less lucky, for him to act like one of them too. He needed to stop being the happy-go-lucky kid with a severe case of internal martyrdom.

Austin escaped his adolescence when he accepted the reality of the situation. He exhaled and removed himself from his trance, looking around the now slightly smaller living room. It could be summed up as controlled chaos. The chaos was caused mostly by the younger kids, while the older teenagers and adults stood in disbelief or in quiet conversation around the room’s perimeter. No one seemed to have any initial plan for how to respond.

A girl who hadn’t yet reached double digits in age seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because her voice rose above the rest to say, “What can we do?”

“Nothing.” Austin found himself saying assertively. The room quieted down considerably. Sh*t, he wasn’t expecting to have the floor. He breathed deeply once, gathering himself before taking a small step forward. “There’s nothing we can do for them now. The X-men are probably already on their way, so we need to let them handle the immediate situation.” He looked around, hoping to make eye contact with a responsible adult. “Someone should take the younger kids down to the basement, or some secured area,” he was still new here and didn’t quite know the lay of the land, “just in case there are any follow-up attacks on the Xavier School. But until further notice we should have our guard up.” He said with an evenness that surprised him. “Does anyone disagree?” He asked, leaving the decision open for discussion.