Age of Cyclops: Aqua Regia

by Phil Hartman

Prologue: Manhattan Midtown YMCA: 6/4/92

"Are you sure about this ?"

"Mom, I gotta do SOM'THIN' with my summer," Frank Richards pleaded, standing in line for program registration. "An' I like swimmin'. It's not like baseball or dumb ol' football, where ev'rybody's competin' against each other."

Sue brushed a blond strand out of her 5-year-old son's eyes and said, "OK. Give it a try, and we'll see how it goes."

"Thanks !" Frank cheered, hugging her. He bounded off to the registration office, not noticing the faint smile on Sue's face.

#As long as he's happy, I don't mind. I just worry about him, that's all ...# she thought, watching Frank pay the registration fee and look at the equipment sheet. #And maybe he'll be good at it ...#

8/12/99

"A NEW RECORD IN THE 50-METER FREESTYLE !!"

#'Good,' nothing. He's incredible !# Sue thought, overjoyed as she watched her 12-year-old son pull himself from the pool and wave to the Fantastic Four. Ben Grimm whistled, fingers in his mouth, while Johnny Storm whooped.

Reed smiled and clutched Sue's hand, drawing her attention. "And to think, we used to worry about his powers," he chuckled.

"They'll emerge soon enough. But if he can handle them as well as he can his academics and his athletics, he'll do fine," Sue said proudly. "Did you see his time ? Reed, that's close to Olympic level !"

"Not merely close, Mrs. Richards. With sufficient and proper training, Franklin could be a champion."

The FF looked up to see a young woman in a business suit, smiling politely at them from beneath long black hair. "Sylvia Montegro, United States Olympic Committee," she said, handing Reed a business card. "Perhaps we can discuss this with Franklin ?"

"You've been watching him," Reed said, walking with Sue and Sylvia to the Midtown swimmers' area.

"Who hasn't been ? Young, mutant, public, a truly decent person - you realize Franklin's received more publicity than some members of the House of Windsor ?" Sylvia asked. "The paparazzi are drooling over him, you understand. I must extend my respects over your ability to shield him from the public eye as much as you have."

"We never wanted to lock Frank away in an ivory tower," Sue replied, her voice starting to take on a worried tone. "But ..."

"Mom ! Dad !"

Reed and Sue smiled as a lean, tanned Caucasian boy with buzzed blond hair and piercing blue eyes approached, wearing a blue speedo with swim goggles tossed carelessly around his neck. He looked at them, then at Sylvia, and asked, "What's up ?"

"Franklin, this is Ms. Montegro, with the United States Olympic Committee," Reed said, arching an eyebrow. "I believe she has something she'd like to ask you."

Frank's eyes went very wide as he breathed, "You ... no way. I swam good back there, but THAT good ?"

"It's not just skill, Franklin. I'm not going to lie to you - you're a very hot commodity," Sylvia said, smiling. "Your star power - and believe me, the son of the Fantastic Four has REMARKABLE star power - coupled with the proper training, could finally blast the stigma away from Olympic sports such as swimming, fencing, and other non-ball sports."

"And he'd receive the lion's share of merchandising, correct ?" Sue said, her tone turning dangerous for a second.

"Of course," Sylvia replied in a soft tone.

"Wait a minute - you want me to swim at Sydney next year !? THE OLYMPICS !?" Frank gasped. "I - who cares about the money !? This is great !"

His expression turned downtrodden as he added, "But I'm just 12, and ... I'm a mutant ..."

"A latent mutant ! And even if you were active, your powers couldn't possibly give you an advantage, could they ?" Sylvia purred. "Consider my offer, Franklin."

Frank grinned and said, "Where do I sign ?"

***

"He's NOT serious," Rachel Summers said, shock still evident on her face as she leaned against the X-Mansion's War Room holotank. "I know we've got equal rights under the Kelly Act. I know mutants aren't barred from sporting competition. But he's putting himself in a dangerous position !"

"Frank thinks he can do it," Nate told his "twin" sister, carefully balancing his psimitar before twirling it through a kata. "We oughta back him up."

Their younger brother Jesse looked at the 12-year-olds and said, "I think it's kewl. I mean, maybe Frank can make people think different about mutants - maybe show'em we're not all bug-eyed freaks."

Ray smiled at Jesse and said, "I hope so, kiddo. I'm just still worried ..."

"You don't want him to croak before you marry him, you mean," Nate teased.

8/25/99

#What'm I doing ?#

Frank looked around his bedroom, completing the packing of what few items he did own, and sighed.

#I'm going halfway across the country for a dream,# he realized, looking at a picture frame on his dresser. A band of swimsuit-clad kids his age laughed back at him, his own face amidst the horde.

#Guys ... please, understand, I've gotta try. This is something I've dreamed about for so long,# Frank thought at the picture. #Maybe I can make a difference.... or something ...#

He put the picture in his bag and stood, turning out the light before catching a taxi to the airport.

***

He stood, letting the scanners examine his bag, before the psi-shout made him turn and smile.

"You GOOB !" Ray exclaimed, hugging Frank. "You were NOT going to go away without saying goodbye, were you ? Because if you did -"

Frank hugged her back and whispered, "Never, Red. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," Ray said, releasing him. "But we'll be cheering for you in Sydney, I promise."

"She's all honesty, Franky," Nate grinned, his arm around Beatrice Shade. "Like this one here ..."

"Smartass. That medal better be gold, Richards," the albino, purple-eyed Beatrice snorted. "Otherwise I'll have to let my brothers smack you around."

"VERY funny, sis," Tom Shade chuckled. "Be careful, Frank."

"Kick ass, bud," Bill Shade said, nodding.

"Agon go with you," Luna Maximoff smiled.

"Or whoever," Alexa Wagner laughed, her blue fur partially obscured by her blue-black hair.

"Thanks, all of you," Frank said, turning to go. "I'll keep in touch !"

"YOU'D BETTER !" they yelled after him, watching him board the plane.

#Please ... please, be careful,# Ray thought after Frank, not leaving the jetway until he walked out of sight.

***

"OUT OF BED, PEOPLE !"

#Grmm ...# Frank thought, rising and grabbing his swim gear as he tromped down to the locker room. His roommate, the long-haired Kelly Riscneros, stumbled after, a delirious grin on his face.

"Coach's like, a tough guy, huh ?" the surfer turned swimmer asked, stopping at one of the snack machines.

"I've faced worse. Believe me, you've never seen hardcase until you meet Wolverine," Frank grinned, going straight to his locker.

"What's it like, bein' the son of the Fantastic Four ? You ever have to fight supervillains ?" Kelly asked as they got changed.

"Sometimes. Most of the time, my folks tried to keep me away from that," Frank explained, showering quickly and adjusting his goggles before entering the deck area. "I went to public school, like most kids - I want to try and keep doing that."

"A mutie like you, with normal people ?"

"Shut UP, Davis," Kelly snarled at the trainees' oldest member. Brock Davies snorted back at him, then leaned towards Frank with obvious contempt.

"Stay out of my way, twerp. You're not wanted here," Davies spat.

Frank dove in and started to practice, a grim expression on his face. #That depends on who does or doesn't want me, jerk,# he thought, forcing himself forward.

12/25/99

F: scrap@oly.org

T: red@baldnest.edu

Re: Holidays

Red -

No dice. The Family's AWOL, and I've gotta deal with the allowance I've got. Unless you can find a heavy-lift 'porter, I'm stuck.

My times are still dropping, though. It looks like I can shoot for the 50-free, but the 100-free's going to be a real test. Thanks for the cookies, though.

Take care, Scrap

***

#Push and pull and -#

"That's it, Richards !" Coach Melbrowksi yelled through the megaphone, nodding as the boy whip-turned and started back towards the other end of the pool. "Better form today."

#Gosh, thanks, coach. It only took you six months to notice,# Frank thought, trying to keep rancor out of his mental tone. #Don't be a whiny-butt, Frank. It could be a lot worse ...#

He completed his workout and climbed out of the pool, toweling off while the coach nodded. "Shaved another six seconds off your time," he said. "Gotta hand it to ya, Richards, you've worked hard since you got here."

"I try, Coach," Frank said. He looked around, then asked, "Is that Ms. Montegro ?"

"Franklin ! Darling - here are the people from Squeak! Magazine I told you about," Sylvia said, entering the deck area with what looked suspiciously like a reporter and photographer. "Mr. Lance Brockman, the writer, and Shane McDaniels, the photographer ?"

"Nice to meet you," Frank said, shaking both of the newcomers' hands. "Just let me get cleaned up, and -"

"Oh, they didn't tell you, did they ?" Brockman said. "My bosses were looking for a sort of workout layout, maybe a poolside interview ..."

"Uhm ... sure," Frank said, looking at Sylvia with an arched eyebrow.

"Nothing cheesecake, gentlemen. There might be millions of drooling fangirls outside of these walls lusting for our star, but I'm not going to be a party to child exploitation," Sylvia insisted.

#'Drooling fangirls' ... ?# Frank thought, swallowing.

***

"HOW MANY WEBSITES !?"

Frank nearly keeled over in shock at the search results his computer had pulled up.

"Dude, you've, like, got fans," Kelly said, grinning. "If those chicas were like, five years older, maybe I'd -"

"Oh my GOD ... I'm a media sensation ..." Frank groaned. "I've got FANCLUBS ? Who the heck authorized FANCLUBS ?!"

***

"Have you seen some of these websites !? My GOD !" Gail Bailey exclaimed, blushing as Ray comandeered her cousin's computer.

"Oh ... my ... God," Ray said, tilting her head sideways. "There are some teenage girls out there with way too much spare time." She grinned evilly and added, "Drooling over Frank is MY job."

"Oh, so she ADMITS it !" Gail laughed, ducking the pillow Ray hurled at her.

***

"He's 12 and a half. There's simply no way he should be a ... a ..."

"A mother never wants to say the words, Sue, but we gotta say it: Frank's got teenage girls drooling," Johnny said, playing absently with a fireball. "Besides, consider who his uncle is. The kid was born to be a stud."

"HE IS NOT A 'STUD,' JOHNNY STORM !" Sue shrieked, blazing red. "He's ... good Lord, this is just ..."

"Creepy ? Suzie, relax. Th' kid's got a good head on his shoulders," Ben tried to reassure Sue. "B'sides, even if he's merchandised, he'll be gettin' a good share o'the proceeds, right ?"

"Maybe," Reed said, reeding the Daily Bugle. "But I want to make sure of that, so I called up a friend of ours ..."

3/15/00

"Sign NOTHING. At least not until I triple-check it."

"Aunt Jen ... ?" Frank asked, watching the jade giantess look over the contracts spread out on the table before them. Sylvia looked positively stunned, while Kelly had a stupid grin on his face.

"That one, that one and that one. Sign," She-Hulk ordered Frank. "You'll have your face on T-shirts and a logo on jeans, but nothing stupid like underwear; that swimwear deal, I think will work, as long as you're OK with it; and Squeak! has to give all the photos and negatives to you from that last shoot."

"And this one ?" Frank asked.

"If you're OK with it," Jennifer said, smiling. "I'd find it surreal."

"But it's an action figure," Frank grinned. "I think it's kewl."

"The last one they did of me was so ... endowed," Jennifer said, blushing green. "Get design input rights when they come to measure you, OK ?"

"'Endowed' ?" Kelly asked.

He flinched under a baleful green stare.

"Kel, give it up," Frank told his roommate. "You don't want to know what happened to her last boyfriend."

"Hey ! Wyatt stopped glowing green after a few days !" Jennifer harrumphed.

8/13/00

"... 21.85 ! Franklin Richards has beaten the European 50-meter freestyle record and clinched a berth on the men's team at Sydney !"

Frank pulled himself from the pool, wheezing, and let his teammates help him to the nearest bench. "Dude, you look like dog barf," Kelly said, handing Frank a bottle of water.

The boy took a long draught and sighed, leaning against the wall. "Something's ... wrong," he breathed, nodding. "I've got a big headache ... it's like ... so many voices ..."

"Gentlemen, if I might speak with Franklin alone for a moment."

The other swimmers parted, and Frank looked up in surprise.

"Hello, Franklin," Charles Xavier said with a friendly smile.

***

After he'd showered and changed, Frank met Xavier in the cafeteria, trying to ignore the odd looks and obvious concern coming from the rest of the Olympic qualifiers.

"They know me as the leader of the X-Men, not as an academician," Xavier mock-sighed, nodding when Frank sat down. "The roles we find ourselves playing these days ..."

"Sir, did Cerebro ... am I manifesting ?" Frank asked nervously, running a hand across what blond fuzz remained on his head after his latest buzzcut.

"Your psionic dampers are failing," Xavier said, noticing Frank's face fall. "But there is hope, Franklin. The dampers have yet to fail completely -"

"But if they do, and I can't control my powers, most of Australia might disappear off the map !" Frank whispered, going pale. "Sir, I can't risk people's live s like this !"

"I understand your fear, Franklin. You must decide what to do next. There are too many variables for me to blindly rush in and try to restrain your abilities," Xavier said. "Your mental shields are ... formidable."

"I've been working on my psi-screens through the correspondence course, like you said," Frank agreed. "But that's just to keep hostile tepes out of my head. That's not even honing a mindshield ..."

He hung his head, hearing the whine of Xavier's hoverchair as the man left. "It is up to you, Franklin," Xavier called. "No matter what happens, we will be there for you."

#Thanks,# Frank thought, looking at the table.

#But I've gotta be there for ME.#

9/15/00

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Ms. Frost, PLEASE ! Think of it as - as a field trip," Ray said, trying to keep calm as she spoke to the headmasters of the Massachusetts Academy.

"Rachel, it's not that we don't want to let you go -I think it could be remarkably educational," Emma began. "But ... the potential for disaster with 14 teenage mutants - one of whom isn't even a teenager -to go traipsing through downtown Sydney ..."

"T'is negligible, Emma ! B'sides, if we don't have some kind o'presence there, we'd be fools. Franklin'll need help should he fully manifest, an' it's nae like we've got Leech around t'just damp th'boy."

"You had to remind me of what Adrienne did, didn't you ?" Emma snapped. They both sighed, and she breathed, "I'm sorry, Sean. That was out of line ... very well. You and Moira can go along with the New Mutants, but ONLY for Franklin's event. Should he fully manifest, get him back here however you have to."

"Ye ken that might compromise our security, havin' a star Olympian here," Moira said with a faint smile.

"Xavier blew off all our secrecy two years ago, Moira, and I suported him then, remember ?" Emma said with a dark smile. "The look on Sebastian's face when they arrested him ..."

#And you walked away clean,# Ray remembered, trying not to scowl.

"We have t'be careful how we handle this," Moira said, following Sean and Ray to gather the other New Mutants.

"Tell me about it. Frank could be a really positive role model for young mutants like us," Ray said. She hung her head as she added, "The Professor's not exactly telegenic, and neither was ..."

Moira sighed, nodding.

"Neither was Magnus."

***

He tensed, adjusting his swimsuit and swimcap and goggles, trying not to blush as the cameras followed him.

#Wow,# Frank thought, hearing the U.S. section go insane with cheering. He removed his goggles and grinned, waving, at the vocal section in the midst of the American spectators.

"FRANK ! FRANK ! FRANK !"

~Told you we'd see you here, you goof,~ Ray sent, beaming as Frank readjusted his goggles and found his lane.

~Thanks, Red. Thanks for everything,~ Frank thought back, getting into position. ~And Ray ? I ... I like you. I'm sorry I never told you before -~

~OHmyGODFrankyouBETTERwinbecauseIAMtaking you back homewith me after THAT !!!~ Ray psi-shrieked, giggling aloud. Nate and Jesse looked at her with big grins, then returned their attention to the pool as the starting buzzer sounded.

***

They leapt, quicksilver through ice-cold, pushing against the clock and each other.

#Gotta do this - can't let them down - can't let ME down -#

Lungs heaved, pulling oxygen from air, lactic acid erupting in muscles as they pulled and struggled towards the goal.

#I. Won't. Give. Up.#

He lunged.

Something scream-broke.

And light exploded from the pool, as he touched the wall and climbed out and knelt, glowing.

***

Sean's wrist-Cerebro screamed, sparking, before its display guttered out.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier's long-range sensor array lit up, registering something off the psionic scale before overloading.

Charles Xavier looked up from his 11 p.m. tea, then gasped.

And Emma Frost smiled, then tapped a button on her Cyberno console.

***

"Aye, I bloody well know we've got t' - RACHEL !?"

Sean and Moira were unable to stop the New Mutants from flying or teleporting to Frank's side, but made it there almost as fast.

Ray knelt before Frank, holding one of his hands as he removed his swimcap and goggles, and laughed tearfully with him. "I knew it," she breathed, watching one of the awestruck judges place the gold around Frank's neck.

"I ... it doesn't ... I'm OK," Frank said, standing slowly. He began to smile, laughing, when Ray kissed him and the entire natatorium shook with cheers.

~Your shields ?~ Ray sent, clutching Frank.

~I'm OK - you backed me up ... Ray, I- I ... love you,~ Frank began, sending telepathically.

"I love you, too," she said, as they kissed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!" 10,000 screaming fangirls sobbed.

"Oh, SHUT UP AND GET A LIFE ALREADY !" Ray yelled back, grinning. "He's mine ! MINE ! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!"

"Possessive, ain't she ?" Lewis Guthrie asked Luna.

"Hey, she didn't unleash the Phoenix on them," Luna said thankfully.

"Franklin ! Franklin !"

Frank nodded, turning to face the hordes of newshounds approaching, and smiled when Ray stood beside him.

"Franklin, your powers have manifested, you've won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle, and you've won the heart of this young lady here, as well as the world," one of the TV reporters said. "What's next ?"

Frank grinned and said, "I'm going to the Massachusetts Academy."

"SELLOUT ! RACE-TRAITOR !"

The New Mutants froze, shocked, as they turned to see a green glow light up the sky, and resolve itself into a masked black-and-red-costumed figure with brown hair.

"Who - !?" Ray exclaimed.

"You pathetic backstabbing POSER ! You'd waste your powers furthering human greed and that imbecile Xavier's dream !?" the boy shouted. "You're a COWARD, Richards ! But the Demagogue will not stand for your treason ! FACE ME !"

"I - " Frank began, looking at Ray.

They both yelled when a telekinetic blast staggered the "Demagogue," and Nate took to the air with a look of utter hatred.

"Flonq off, you dumbass. Frank made his choice, and we're beyond that anti-human crap," Nate snarled.

The Demagogue's eyes flickered with green fire, and he sneered, "You are, you sycophantic spawn of Xavier's lapdog. But I haven't lost my courage - my father never did - and I refuse to hide any longer !"

He removed his mask, drawing a shocked gasp from the New Mutants as Nate exclaimed:

"CHUCK LEHNSHERR !?"

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