Short Story

Okay gang of imaginary people who may or may not be reading this :D Following is a short story intro that i wrote as part of a challenge. Hope you enjoy!

Kat squeezed Colin’s hand, trying to reassure him. She felt the slight tremor of nerves as he prepared himself to take the stand in defense of mutant rights.

“You can do this, what’s a bunch of congressmen after you have faced down an army full of machetes huh?” She smiled up at him, trying to make his face relax out of the warrior’s grimace, “Besides, you are going to scare them looking like that, remember these are soft old men not punky teenagers at the club.” This cracked a smile out of him. A page came up to escort Colin to the main floor. Kat waved goodbye, whispering that everything would be alright.

As he left he was waylaid by an overeager reporter and her photographer. Lights flashed, momentarily blinding everyone in the area. Kat felt someone tug at her hand.

“Ma’am, if you would come with me, I will escort you to your seat in the upper deck.” Assuming it was another page leading her, Kat followed, sending good luck wishes in her mind to Colin. As she was led out of the coat room towards the upper deck, her eyes cleared of the blinding flashes, though it was still hard for her to see clearly. She tried to examine the man leading her, medium build and dark hair, dressed in a page’s uniform, the man looked nothing if not non-descript. Still Kat’s inner radar buzzed. The more she studied the man in front of her, the more concerned she became.

“I’m sorry, what did you say your name was?” she kept her voice polite, trying to censor the suspicion she felt.

“I didn’t,” the man sneered, he slowly turned towards Kat. As he did his features began to change and shift, he grew taller, broader. His hair changed from dark brown to flowing auburn, but his eyes didn’t change at all. The deep purple was unique to only one individual.

“Kieran,” Kat whispered, her heart picking up pace. She cursed her own stupidity at going off with someone without being absolutely sure who it was. She knew Kieran was still hunting, still playing at making mutants a super-race, dominant over all humanity. It was his fault that Colin stood before Congress at this moment, pleading for their freedom. He had exposed mutants as the children of an alien race only last year, placing them all in jeopardy by declaring open war on the human race. “What are you doing here?”

“Well child, I think that should be obvious. I can’t allow your husband, a decorated soldier and known advocate for peace make the case that we are no better then humans.” He spat the final word, betraying his contempt, “That we would want peace, we don’t want that. No indeed, so he is going to do as I say or you, dear, are going to die a rather horrific death.” Kat’s heart clenched in her chest, she had to find a way out of this.
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Colin took his seat in front of the congressional panel, arranging his notes around him. He was one of about a dozen mutants testifying on behalf of their entire race this week. No pressure. He took a deep breath and then grimaced as one of his papers dropped and floated to the floor. He bent underneath the table to retrieve the paper and almost fell out of his chair as a familiar smell assaulted his nose. Kieran, his lion growled, that bastard’s scent was all over the paper. He stayed underneath the table to read the precise script that lined the paper in compulsively straight lines,

If you would like to see your pretty wife again, you will tell all you know about the so-called President of this pathetic country right now in front of this assembly. Make sure you speak clearly child, we don’t want anyone to mistake the President’s heritage and think him to be the same as one of the sheep.

Colin’s mind raced with implication. He had served with the current president, Ronald Blanton, while with the peacekeepers in Rwanda. It was in that service he had learned the man’s secret. The president’s mother had been a mutant, one who had left her child to be raised by his father. The child’s power had been subtle and easy to hide, just an extra dollop of charisma and the ability to anticipate a person’s desires. Sprit mutants were like that, they could blend a little more completely. Colin had been shocked when he had heard of Ron’s nomination, and now it looked like he had to out him.