"It's for your own good, Bart." Helen stated. She and her husband had become Bart's legal guardians after his first guardian in this time passed on.
"Bullshit!" Bart retorted. "You came to Dallas and pulled me out without letting me even say good bye to my friends! I listen to Max bitch at me the whole way home about how much the hospital stay will cost him and how reckless I am and how he should of let me be sent to jail instead of letting SWatch have me. Now, you spring on me that you're taking me to be registered tomorrow?! How is ANY of this good for me?!"
Helen closed her eyes for a second and took a breathe. She needed to keep in control and not start yelling back. She didn't want for this to blow up into a war. As soon as she let her emotions get the better of her and yelled back, then she lost.
"Bart, they're really cracking down, now. Max and I are your legal guardians and that makes us responsible for you. If we don't register you, then we'll share all the penalties and probably more. Max and I have a normal life and we can't afford to spend it in jail just because you want to play secret super-hero. "
"Yeah, won't have to worry about me playing anything more then a puppet to them or lunch for the worms. These guys are bad! Don't you get it?! They don't care about mutants and you're handing me over to them! You might as well just shoot me yourself!"
"I thought this would be the best for all of us. You wouldn't have to hide anymore and pretend to be normal. The Ministry representative even told us that they have facilities that would help you to learn control of your powers. Isn't that what you wanted? The control so your powers won't kill you and the freedom to not have to hide who you are?"
Bart softened a little. "Look, Helen, I know you think you're doing the right thing here but, you're not. I'm the one that was out there, remember? I'm the one that saw first hand as they slaughtered innocent people for nothing worse then living where they were! How can you condone this and help them?" Bart's anger had started to grow again. "What, do you think I made all that stuff about the war up? Or have you just gone off your fucking nut?!"
"That's enough!" Max said sternly as he stared down at Bart. "This isn't open for debate. You are going to be registered and that's final! Maybe once it's all done you'll see that we are doing this for your benefit as well as ours."
Bart and Max stared at each other in silence for several seconds before Max finally said. "Is that understood?"
"Whatever." Bart said as he stormed off as best he could on crutches.
"I can't believe this!" Bart said as he threw the crutches to the floor and sat on the bed. After a few seconds of quiet contemplation he picked up the phone.
"Hello?....Yeah, is Nyra there?....Out? Damn! Oh, sorry. Bad day....Message? Uh, just please let her know that Bart called. Maybe I'll try back later....Why won't the phone be connected?...The whole restaurant? Wow. Well, if you could give her or Mercy a message for me. Please just let them know that Helen and Max dragged me back 'home' and that I'll probably be stuck here if they need to get a hold of me. Also, if you see Nyra, please let her know that I'm sorry that I didn't get to see her again before I had to leave. Thanks....I'll try. You have a good one too. Bye."
"This sucks." he said after hanging up the phone.
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