"Old Friends" -- sequel to "Sue the Mutant!"
Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 7:14 pm
"Jump!" The crowd below screamed. "Go ahead! JUMP!" They were so happy to anticipate bloodshed. The police struggled to keep them back. But he was so high up he couldn't see the action very well. Plus, looking down made him terrified.
"What am I doing up here? Can't even kill myself right."
"Dillon!" He heard his wife's voice from below. "Come down, honey! Please? We'll work it out. Just come down."
He closed his eyes and felt stupid. "What have I done?" He wanted to shuffle across the ledge back inside the open window into his office, but he froze.
The wind blew and his expensive silk tie fluttered in the breeze. He shivered. He had left his suit jacket on his desk, among all the paperwork that could send him to jail.
"Dillon?" It was a softly accented voice.
"Huh?"
"Don't be afraid. I'm going to try and get you down. Just... don't... move... Stay where you are."
"Who's there -- ?"
"Do you remember me, Dillon?" Kurt didn't want to come out of the shadows. It might startle him and make him fall. "Many, many years ago, when you were little -- ?"
"What the... ? No way. I really am crazy. You can't be real. You came all the way from Germany to get me off this ledge? How could you know -- "
"No, Dillon," he stepped forward, but Dillon didn't look. He was afraid to move. "I live in America now. With people like me. Other mutants. We saw you on TV."
"Oh great. This is on TV. Well it figures. Last year I'm on the cover of Business Week as financial genius of the decade. Now I'm about to either splat on the sidewalk like a jerk, or else get sent to jail for insider trading. Yeah. Do me a favor. Make me disappear for good."
"No, Dillon. It just doesn't work that way. I have thought about you over the years. Last time I saw you, your parents were fighting and you were caught in the middle. I wondered if you were okay."
"Caught in the middle, huh? Yeah. Now I'm just caught. My Dad ran off with a cocktail waitress he met in a bar. My Mom drank herself into oblivion and went through ten boyfriends. She forgot I even existed. So here I am, getting the prize for loser of the decade."
Down below, a siren wailed. Searchlights flashed, illuminating the walls of the building. The audience on the ground gasped. Kurt could hear them... 'What is that thing?' He ignored it.
"I'm losing everything, Kurt. Everything."
"Dillon!" His wife screamed. "Dillon -- "
"Daddy!" A little girl cried from down below. "Daddy! Don't -- "
Then began again the chorus of JUMP! JUMP! GO AHEAD! DO IT! WE WANNA SEE YAH JUMP!
"No," Kurt continued. "You didn't lose everything. But you will, if you jump. Don't make a bad situation worse. Do you want her to grow up without a father, too?"
"I'll be in jail, anyway."
"You'll still be alive. Think of your family. Give me your hand, Dillon." He reached out.
"Well... " He truly didn't want to die. He was a coward, after all. A miserable, worthless coward.
They were both gone in a puff of smoke.
People below screamed. The police searched the ground, believing they had fallen to the pavement...
They materialized behind the distracted crowd. "Look, Dillon. There is your family. Go to them!"
"Nancy?" Dillon didn't have to move. His wife rushed to him, carrying their daughter.
"Dillon! How did you -- ?"
"It's a long story... Can't tell you if I'm in jail... "
The police surrounded them suddenly. They drew their guns and went to cuff him immediately...
"No! Don't take him. Please," his wife cried. His little girl sobbed, "Daddy!"
"Step away, lady! He's coming with us."
"Come with me, all of you," Kurt stepped out of the shadows again, grabbed hold of the entire family...
They materialized in the middle of Central Park. Beside them, a homeless man slept next to his empty bottles.
"Dillon? What -- ? What are we doing here? How did we -- ?" She saw Kurt and stepped back, almost tripping over the vagrant. "Who are you?"
"Nancy... This is a real old friend of mine. Kurt Wagner, otherwise known as the Amazing Nightcrawler, and he's famous for saving my stupid dumb ass! Oh... yeah... and he's a mutant."
"A mutant... ? Oh... " She was speechless. She had never met a mutant before...
"Guten abend, Frau Daniels," and he made a courtly bow, not only out of politeness but also attempting to lessen the tension.
"Oh... at least he's a friendly mutant." She said, and laughed quietly. "Dillon, honey, what about the police?"
"It would be advisable to give yourself up, Dillon. But you have to make your own decision." Kurt said. "You now have your freedom. What you do now is up to you. Auf Wiedersehen." And he disappeared.
"Dillon? Honey?"
"Well... That's it, Nancy. The cops will find us any minute now -- "
"Dillon, when this insider trading stuff all came out, I did some thinking, and... "
He was worried about what she would say next. Like, I want a divorce... ! "I just wanted my family to have a better life than I had, that's all."
"And... I took a lot of cash out of the bank and packed some clothes in the trunk of the BMW."
"What are you saying?"
"The car is stashed in a parking garage. They'll be looking for your Mercedes. If we hurry, we can make it to Canada. Maybe from there we can go anywhere-- "
"I love you! Come on, let's get the hell out of here!"
"What am I doing up here? Can't even kill myself right."
"Dillon!" He heard his wife's voice from below. "Come down, honey! Please? We'll work it out. Just come down."
He closed his eyes and felt stupid. "What have I done?" He wanted to shuffle across the ledge back inside the open window into his office, but he froze.
The wind blew and his expensive silk tie fluttered in the breeze. He shivered. He had left his suit jacket on his desk, among all the paperwork that could send him to jail.
"Dillon?" It was a softly accented voice.
"Huh?"
"Don't be afraid. I'm going to try and get you down. Just... don't... move... Stay where you are."
"Who's there -- ?"
"Do you remember me, Dillon?" Kurt didn't want to come out of the shadows. It might startle him and make him fall. "Many, many years ago, when you were little -- ?"
"What the... ? No way. I really am crazy. You can't be real. You came all the way from Germany to get me off this ledge? How could you know -- "
"No, Dillon," he stepped forward, but Dillon didn't look. He was afraid to move. "I live in America now. With people like me. Other mutants. We saw you on TV."
"Oh great. This is on TV. Well it figures. Last year I'm on the cover of Business Week as financial genius of the decade. Now I'm about to either splat on the sidewalk like a jerk, or else get sent to jail for insider trading. Yeah. Do me a favor. Make me disappear for good."
"No, Dillon. It just doesn't work that way. I have thought about you over the years. Last time I saw you, your parents were fighting and you were caught in the middle. I wondered if you were okay."
"Caught in the middle, huh? Yeah. Now I'm just caught. My Dad ran off with a cocktail waitress he met in a bar. My Mom drank herself into oblivion and went through ten boyfriends. She forgot I even existed. So here I am, getting the prize for loser of the decade."
Down below, a siren wailed. Searchlights flashed, illuminating the walls of the building. The audience on the ground gasped. Kurt could hear them... 'What is that thing?' He ignored it.
"I'm losing everything, Kurt. Everything."
"Dillon!" His wife screamed. "Dillon -- "
"Daddy!" A little girl cried from down below. "Daddy! Don't -- "
Then began again the chorus of JUMP! JUMP! GO AHEAD! DO IT! WE WANNA SEE YAH JUMP!
"No," Kurt continued. "You didn't lose everything. But you will, if you jump. Don't make a bad situation worse. Do you want her to grow up without a father, too?"
"I'll be in jail, anyway."
"You'll still be alive. Think of your family. Give me your hand, Dillon." He reached out.
"Well... " He truly didn't want to die. He was a coward, after all. A miserable, worthless coward.
They were both gone in a puff of smoke.
People below screamed. The police searched the ground, believing they had fallen to the pavement...
They materialized behind the distracted crowd. "Look, Dillon. There is your family. Go to them!"
"Nancy?" Dillon didn't have to move. His wife rushed to him, carrying their daughter.
"Dillon! How did you -- ?"
"It's a long story... Can't tell you if I'm in jail... "
The police surrounded them suddenly. They drew their guns and went to cuff him immediately...
"No! Don't take him. Please," his wife cried. His little girl sobbed, "Daddy!"
"Step away, lady! He's coming with us."
"Come with me, all of you," Kurt stepped out of the shadows again, grabbed hold of the entire family...
They materialized in the middle of Central Park. Beside them, a homeless man slept next to his empty bottles.
"Dillon? What -- ? What are we doing here? How did we -- ?" She saw Kurt and stepped back, almost tripping over the vagrant. "Who are you?"
"Nancy... This is a real old friend of mine. Kurt Wagner, otherwise known as the Amazing Nightcrawler, and he's famous for saving my stupid dumb ass! Oh... yeah... and he's a mutant."
"A mutant... ? Oh... " She was speechless. She had never met a mutant before...
"Guten abend, Frau Daniels," and he made a courtly bow, not only out of politeness but also attempting to lessen the tension.
"Oh... at least he's a friendly mutant." She said, and laughed quietly. "Dillon, honey, what about the police?"
"It would be advisable to give yourself up, Dillon. But you have to make your own decision." Kurt said. "You now have your freedom. What you do now is up to you. Auf Wiedersehen." And he disappeared.
"Dillon? Honey?"
"Well... That's it, Nancy. The cops will find us any minute now -- "
"Dillon, when this insider trading stuff all came out, I did some thinking, and... "
He was worried about what she would say next. Like, I want a divorce... ! "I just wanted my family to have a better life than I had, that's all."
"And... I took a lot of cash out of the bank and packed some clothes in the trunk of the BMW."
"What are you saying?"
"The car is stashed in a parking garage. They'll be looking for your Mercedes. If we hurry, we can make it to Canada. Maybe from there we can go anywhere-- "
"I love you! Come on, let's get the hell out of here!"