New X-Men (Marvel Omega)

New X-Men #5 - "I Knew You Were Trouble"

Author's Note: Somewhat peculiarly, despite my work on New X-Men #3, I wasn't selected to continue the series initially. Instead, Scott Redmond wrote New X-Men #4 before leaving the series. Redmond wrote an issue that selected the core cast for his vision of the series and had Cannonball contemplating Beast's offer to train them. Effectively, when I was finally selected to continue the series with New X-Men #5, I undid all of that as our visions conflicted. New X-Men #5 can thus be seen as a direct continuation from New X-Men #3.

The Xavier Institute

His decision to stay on the grounds of the Xavier Institute seemed to have allowed his mind to drift back into a world that had once been so comfortable. Horrors could have lain in every shadow around the glorious estate and yet he had managed to make it to adulthood. His friends had done the same. Well, nearly all of them. In his young years, Sam Guthrie had buried more than just the old and he had mourned twice as long as he had ever been happy. It was the life of a hero. It was the life of a southern gentleman who had dedicated his every breathing moment to fighting for a cause that he had believed in so adamantly. He would never forget the gangly and awkward Kentuckian he had once been but that boy was behind him. A man that could not be taken or demeaned stood in his place. His siblings had followed him and their lives rested solely in his hands. That was his definition of family. Josh, the most recent of the mutant brood, had been taken in the midst of a war on the school.

Even his happiest moments had been plagued with doubts and the shadows were constant. Sometimes they seeped into the reality of their world. It was a cliché to think that they were hated and despised any more than any other minority had ever been. Sam understood this hatred. He had faced enough of the evil mutants that humanity feared so absolutely. He knew monsters were born not made, and now the same could be said for weapons. It was a scary thought. It all stood in stark contrast to the plush office that he sat in. Its oaken table and duck feathered chairs allotting him comforts he wasn't sure he deserved. Paige had laughed and smiled when he'd given her the tour. It was the reward for years of trauma. However, even amidst their rivalry and banter neither of them was able to forget that their brother was still missing. It plagued their every moment.

Sam had been offered a reprieve but he still dealt with the matter on his own. He might not be able to go into the field but the X-Men looked after their own and the Guthrie's were certainly members of their clan. He rubbed at his eyes as the early morning sun began to sliver through the windows. It was a large room and it would require a lot more light before it could be considered bright. There was an air of stuffiness. Paperwork had taken over his life. He had gone from being an Avenger to duty administrative duty in one fell swoop, but he wouldn't have given up the opportunity to return to his roots. He was corn fed through and through. His home would always be his home and outside of Kentucky, that was the Institute.

Knuckles rapped at the door.

"C'mon in," Sam's voice was groggy from sleep deprivation. It was hard to sleep when a sibling was missing. It was the gentle, svelte figure of his sister that sashayed through the half opened doorway and into the murky darkness of the room. She was the wholesome southern belle that the archetype required. He remembered her as the cautious and logical member of the family but she had been known for her headstrong and foolhardy tendencies. He sometimes wished he had been as capable when he had been her age. Sam had undergone a serious learning curve in the years that followed puberty and the reveal of his powers.

She paused.

"This is goodbye then?"

Paige nodded. "I was only back temporarily. Jean and Scott are here and someone has to hold the fort in Genosha. There is a world beyond this school, as I'm sure you've come to realise, big brother." She wasn't as fragile as he had once thought of her. Sam now saw her for the strength she possessed but there was an isolated expression clear in her face. He had once made a joke that she was the girl crushing hearts with stone hands but he had never thought her own had suffered. Paige held her own. She didn't show emotions.