Could you look me in the eye
And tell me that you're happy now (oooh)
Would you tell it to my face
And have a little grace
Are you happy now?
Are you happy now?
Like son, like father, Darrien was pacing back and forth in his room/office deeply worried about his son and how to make it up to him. Jake was a mutant now, could that bring disastrous events against his son’s life as it had did his? Speaking of life threatening events, reminded him of hearings in court about mutants that he used to go to when Jake was little and he was still in his twenties.
When hate articles in the newspaper were more popular to the readers, Darrien would pick up the newspaper to find front page news about debates being held in courts all over New York. The paper was inviting some people to come watch and support the case that the politics and mutants were presenting. Amazingly enough, mutants were invited to the party. Intrigued about what these people had to say, Darrien decided to go for the heck of it.
Being an only father, he put his aunt, a close cousin, and his older sister to baby sit young Jake. Not wanting to draw attention to himself at the hearing, Darrien decided to wear a dark brown trench coat, black sunglasses, and an old fashion gray-black hat to hide under. After taking a couple of express trains to get there, he would arrive just in time to follow the back of the crowd into the building.
Once the court room had filled up with mutants and people, Darrien made for a seat in the way back, the row closest to the door. Just in case if needed to make a quick getaway or leave early. The mutants who were presenting their side of the case today introduced themselves as: Charles Xavier, Ororo Monroe, and Hank McCoy. (A/N: I know that Hank wasn’t a mutant at the time, but I’ll just say that he’s a mutant supporter for the time being.) For the norms: Senator Kelly and William Stryker. The case today was about whether mutant registration was necessary. (A/N: This is before Kelly was principle of Bayville High.)
As he listened to their heated debate, they brought in witnesses of mutant sightings and confidential files on residential mutants. When the court officers brought the material up to the judge, Darrien noticed a strange man glaring at him suspiciously off and on. The man had messy, slightly spiked black hair just above a rugged face with some obvious stubble. He had a muscular body, covered in a simple grey shirt and dark blue jeans with a black leather jacket. The mysterious man looked older then Darrien, somewhere in his forties perhaps.
During a lunch break during the hearing, Darrien and some other people stayed behind to wait for the session to start again or to discuss matters. Including that strange man, who was now talking privately with that Xavier guy and his crew. Pretending to be asleep, Darrien slumped into a relaxed position in his chair and tilted his head and hat forward to pull off the act. But, he kept the rim of his hat at eye level, so that he could spy on the group. He noticed that the man was making hand gestures towards his direction, so they were talking about him.
Sadly, Darrien couldn’t hear a thing that they were talking about. But, he did hear Xavier’s small outburst at the man that he called Logan. Logan, huh? Funny name. They continued on in hushed voices until break was over, luckily for him, the mutants never approached him. He stuck around for the rest of the mutant presented side of the case, but he decided to leave early. There was no joy in it for him to have to hear what the norms complained about. Besides, as Darrien got up to leave during the next break before the norm case, he’d be reading it in tomorrow’s paper. Plus, just in case those other mutants wanted to talk to him afterwards.
The next day, sure enough, when Darrien read the paper, the article read the mutant side had lost. But, there was another case to be had on that subject later in the future. Today, there was another hearing. This time it was about if mutants were dangerous and if people needed to take precautions to the utmost tight security. Sounded more like total alienation towards mutants today. Leaving home with his babysitters to do the work, Darrien left to go sit in his favorite back row seat in the court room.
After the room had filled, the judge soon appeared and announced that this would be a two day, two part hearing. Darrien prepared himself for the long haul, as he listened to the norms case. They got to go first since the mutants went first last case. The man called Logan and his pal Xavier were staring and gesticulating in his direction like yesterday. At one point of Senator Kelly’s speech, Darrien started to fall asleep. But, he didn’t get to sleep for long.
As his mind was beginning to mist over with sleep, he could hear a strange voice echoing in his mind, asking him odd questions. The voice sounded like Xavier’s, which it was when Darrien had startled from his brief nap. Once he was conscious and alert again, the mind-reader returned his attention back to the case. Wary of the man, Darrien made a note to himself to leave early again.
By the end of it and as people filed out, he was so drowsy from boredom that he got caught in the traffic jam of people. Not wanting to have that Xavier guy reach out to his mind again with his wacky mind tricks, Darrien made a quick curvy path past people to get as soon as possible to the door. With luck on his side, he was ahead of the older man and already out the door.
Darrien continued to show up for the rest of the hearings that month. Plus leaving early to avoid contact with his pursuers. With every hearing, the words got harsher and more hateful toward mutants. This was a losing battle for mutant kind. People just weren’t ready to accept the peace offering that Xavier was offering to them. Their stinging words almost made him feel guilty for being one and what he did with his gift in his free time. Not that he used them to commit crimes like this radical group called the Brotherhood did.
Darrien could still hear those cruel words in his mind and in the world about him today. It truly angered him the way people would discriminate their kind. Sometimes treating them as if they were some lower life form. When mutants were forced to have mutant licenses, it made it even harder to get jobs, a home, and many other things. Gosh, how he hated to own one and feel so out there when he only wanted to be left alone and in peace. ****! Darrien even had enough money to buy a bigger home, an actual house. But, most mutants in this area were only allowed apartments.
This poor living wasn’t for Jake. He could tell by the way his son was being torn up inside or depressed that he couldn’t go places like his friends. Darrien wished that he could improve this life for him, but he couldn’t. In his bank account, he wasn’t allowed to even touch a third of the money in there. Memories suddenly came flooding back in his mind. The time his parents threw him out of the house to only be defended and helped by the relatives who helped him take care of Jake when he was little. He was grateful for any help he could get or be offered. His aunt, cousin, and older sister had been his life lines many times in the past. As Jake got older, there came the more disappointed looks of longing to be free and happy.
Those feelings of abandonment of family, friends, and looks, made Darrien feel regret, guilt, and torn up inside. Even after all these years, the memories still hurt. Oh, how it was so hard to forgive and forget. Great, now his mind felt a horrid mess and his heart heavy. Darrien didn’t need this now, not now. He needed to go help Jake… As the anger rose within from years of pain and frustration, he swung his arm out and knocked over a desk lamp, causing it to topple to the floor at his feet. Writhing in anger, fists clenched, and breathing heavily, Darrien stared down at its broken side. Then, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and bent over to pick it back up.
As he was kneeling down to do so, Darrien suddenly felt a fiery pain shoot through his side. Grimacing in pain, he stood back up. He’d have to forget about the lamp for now. Placing a hand over his burning side, he carefully made his way over to a nearby mirror hanging on the bedroom wall. The mirror was nearly as tall as he was, except the view cut off his feet at a certain distance. Standing before it, Darrien lifted his shirt up enough to see the damage.
On the left side of his body, across the rib cage to his hip, were five long burnt black streaks with open cuts that weren’t bleeding. The streaks were the same width as a person’s fingers. Darrien cursed silently at Sirius Venin for letting his acid and venom leak out into his claws to swipe at his side. Also, at himself for not being quick enough to move out of harm’s way. Sirius’s claws jammed into his side, swiping through the skin and burning it with the deadly organic chemicals. Darrien fell to the floor in pain as the venom entered his body, weakening him. All his opponent had to do was deliver a swift kick to his head and it would be all over. But, the strange thing is, the kick never came.
*another post is coming!*