Weightless │ X-Men (with original character)

Chapter 1

In which the X-Men are alerted to a mutant in distress.

Scott Summers didn't think life could get any better than this. He was an X-Man, had a great relationship with his brother Alex, an amazing girlfriend, and friends that accepted him. For the first time in his life, he felt like he truly belonged.

"What're you smiling about?" Jean asked him. The two were cuddled up on the sofa, watching a basketball game with Alex and the team.

Scott rested his head on her shoulder. "Nothing much, just thinking about how lucky I am to have such an incredible girlfriend." Jean smiled, gently planting a kiss on his lips.

"Would you stop being all sappy and just let us watch in peace?" Peter whined from where he was sprawled out on the floor. Scott rolled his eyes behind his ruby-tinted glasses, even though he knew Peter couldn't see that. The game was interrupted by a deodorant commercial, music blaring loudly from the speakers. Peter began quickly scrolling through channels, no doubt trying to find something—anything better than the obnoxious advertisement.

"Wait, go back!" Alex said, his voice sounding strangely urgent. Peter turned the channel back and everyone fell silent as they looked at the title of the news story: "Mutant Mayhem: Woman Destroys Grocery Store."

The news anchor was standing in front of a demolished building, no doubt the grocery store that the title referred to. "We are live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the sight of a recent catastrophe. A mutant woman caused the collapse of an entire Walmart complex last night. We are not sure how this exactly occurred, but witnesses say she caused the building to cave in on itself. Fortunately, the store was closed so nobody was harmed, but the damage is undeniable. The woman has been identified as Marilyn Summers, and she is now in custody." The screen flashed to a mugshot of Marilyn. Though she appeared composed, there was a frightened look in her eyes. She couldn't have been older than 19.

Alex jumped off the couch and sprinted out of the room, calling for Charles. The story on TV changed to weather predictions. Peter turned it off and Scott noticed everyone looking at him.

"Scott, who was that?" Ororo asked, her brown eyes wide with concern.

He shrugged. "Must've been my cousin. My family hasn't had any connection with her since I was six or seven. Not sure why Alex is all worked up about it."

Jean frowned. "How about because she's your family and she's in some kind of trouble?"

"And he's been in a similar situation. He probably just wants to help," Kurt added from where he was sitting by Ororo.

Scott ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess so. I'm gonna go find Alex and see what I can find out." He stood up and walked down the hallway, mulling things over in his mind. He hadn't seen Marilyn since she was... Three? Four? He wasn't sure.

After some hunting, Scott found Alex talking to Hank and Charles just outside of Cerebro. "What's going on?" he asked, strolling over to them.

"We're working on bailing Marilyn out of jail." Charles said calmly, "She'll be invited to stay with us, if she chooses. Do you know anything about this situation, Scott?"

He shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Haven't seen her since I was six. I honestly forgot she existed."

Charles nodded, his lips pressing together in a fine line. "Well, thank you. We will be sure to keep you updated on the situation."

"No problem," he replied with a shrug. Scott didn't bother sticking around, instead choosing to make his way back to the living room. It was now empty aside from Jean, who perked up as if she was waiting for him.