[OP: "God Help the Outcasts" -- The Hunchback of Notre Dame.]

Callisto took Shine into a more sequestered nook in the sewer...if that was possible.

"All right, what was so important you went to all that trouble to get a chance to talk about it?" She asked, bluntly.

***

The other X-Men and Wally rushed to the point in the sewer that the others had entered through.

Logan was waiting for them, sourly.

"Where is she?" Wally asked.

"Inside," Logan said. "They let Storm stay because she was apparently 'once one of the Morlocks'!" He sounded as peeved as he possibly could be. "But they made me wait out here, think I'll interfere or something."

"But what happened?" Rogue asked. "Did they hurt her?"

"Storm's fine," Logan said.

"Not Storm you dunderhead, Shine!" Rogue said.

"Shine?" Logan gave them a look of chagrin. "Shine up and challenged Callisto to a duel."

They all stared at him.

"No..." Jean said.

"That woman!" Scott looked kind of traumatized.

"What kind of duel?" Wally asked.

"Duels to the death are how they settle extreme arguments," Jean was not helping.

"What in the--" Wally sputtered, then "So Shine won, right?"

"How did--?" Logan began.

"Because if she didn't, you'd not be out here talking to us and Storm wouldn't be in there," Wally said. "But, I know Shine would never kill anyone, so they're just chatting right?"

"You know your woman better than I'd expect," Logan said. "Seeing as how you didn't see this coming."

"I didn't even know who the Morlocks were," Wally said.

"You're gonna have to back up a spell," Gambit said. "Miz Likstar, the Miz Likstar we know, won a duel against Callisto? The Morlock leader?"

"Yeah it was over in about 30 seconds," Logan said. 

He pulled out a cigarette and lit up. "Anyway, Likstar asked to get an audience with Callisto, she didn't tell us anything about what she was going to talk about. Storm is going to make sure they don't get too rowdy."

"Shine can handle them," Wally said proudly.

"And she beat her?" Gambit still couldn't get his mind around that.

"Yeah, weren't you listening?" Rogue said. "Though I can hardly believe it...she's so scrawny compared to that woman."

"She's faster than she looks," Logan said. "And I'd swear," with a pointed look at Wally. "That she had training in weapons of some kind."

"Oh, sure," Wally said. "We trained a ton. I was never much into weapons, but Shine took a few lessons from her friends, and she uses a weapon all the time, usually."

Kurt and Hank, who'd left in one of the cars from the house some time ago, finally caught up to them.

Once they heard this story, they were baffled also.

"Gott must have given her wisdom," Kurt said.

"She ain't out of there yet," Logan said.

"Are you ever not trying to say the most discouraging thing possible?" Wally asked him.

He frowned.

"But what could Miss Likstar want with the Morlocks?" Hank asked.

Wally leaned on the wall complacently. "Well, I don't know," he said. "I'm just gonna wait till she gets out here and let her explain, I have a guess...I wish I was down there though."

"Excuse me," Leech suddenly popped out of the hole. "Is Wally West here?"

"That's me!" Wally said. "Whoa, who are you?"

"I go by Leech," Leech said shyly. "Miss Likstar is asking for you to come join her if you're ready. Callisto said it was okay because you're her husband."

"Marriage privileges apply here?" Wally said. "Cool." he grinned. "Well, I'll fill you guys in later I guess, maybe."

He hopped down.

"Marriage privileges," Gambit said. "Right...more like showing us up."

"Maybe it's true," Scott said. "We all know that marriage works kind of oddly in the Morlock world..." he shuddered.

"I wonder what is happening down there," Jean mused. "I can't get too much of a sense of the Morlocks from here, but I get the feeling they are as lost as we are."

"Hmm." Kurt mused.

***

Before calling for Wally, Shine and Callisto had been talking for some time, and the conversation had gone basically like this:

Shine had taken a more neutral stance. "You must wonder why I'd follow Leech in here at all, and truthfully, I didn't think it out that clearly. But I'd heard of the Morlocks, and, it just so happened, I was hoping to find more...well, Mutants."

"And why are you hunting mutants?" Callisto said warily. "Are you human or not?"

"If I said I was human, but not exactly the same kind of human as the ones up there, what would you think I meant?" Shine asked.

"That you think you're better than all the other bigots out there, but you're just a self righteous coward who wants to feel special about themselves," Callisto said.

Shine laughed, which startled the hard bitten woman. Normally her insults had more effect.

"I can't blame you," Shine said. "I suppose it does sound pretentious, I've found true claims usually do, to some people. Well, I can't explain too much, but, I'm...not exactly a normal person either. I'm not a mutant...but you don't have to be a mutant to be abnormal, you know. The point is, I don't actually fit the mold you might have for the surface dwellers. I didn't come down here to hunt anyone for any reason like the ones you might come up with for them. That's my point. I was looking for mutants for a different reason. You must be wondering why I was being followed by X-men."

"It had crossed my mind," Callisto admitted roughly.

"Right now, I'm living with them," Shine explained. "They took us in. Nicely, because we have no home currently."

"Driven out?" Callisto immediately guessed.

"No...sent," Shine said. "We go on missions. But we don't really have a plan beforehand. It's a precarious existence at times but we've always found help when we need it. God helps us."

Callisto just stared at her.

"And that brings me to my point," Shine said. "I knew I'd never get in here to speak to all of you without your permission, so I had to get your attention, and I knew about that duel thing, clearly, because of Storm. But I don't mean any harm to any of you, I hope that's clear now."

"So, what do you want?" Callisto said. "If you're peddling some cure for mutation, you can forget about it."

"There is no cure for mutation," Shine said, dead serious.

Callisto was a bit puzzled by her stating it like that.

Shine went on after a pause. "Mutation, as it is, is a genetic anomaly. It can be muted, changed, suppressed, increased, but it can't be cured. Those who peddled that idea are fools, and usually liars."

Callisto nodded. "That is the truth. So what then? Get to the point."

"I thought I should say all that first, so you don't assume what I did want has to do with curing anything," Shine said. "I would like a chance to speak to all of your people, about God, about my faith. I think it would do them some good, hearing that God is interested in them."

Callisto stared at her, then laughed, bitterly and in derision.

"God? Interested in us? In the Morlocks, that's rich. You're one of those? You're serious?"

Shine tilted her head. "You may think I'm crazy, I've heard it enough since I got here. But if the idea is so very ridiculous, what harm can it do to let me speak to them about it? They wouldn't buy it if it was so stupid," she leaned forward. "But suppose I can actually make a convincing case for it? One even you would find hard to laugh at? Don't you think some hope could do them good?"

"And you, a random human, care about us having hope?" Callisto spat. "Even the X-men, the protectors of mutants, never cared about that. No one else gives a s--- about us down here."

Shine shrugged. "I know a mutant who has been treated exactly like all of you, he's not been fortunate enough to find a whole company of other mutants to share that burden with him, but he has found peace. In God. I'd love to give him a chance to talk to you all. I'm sure the story of another mutant would matter more than mine, but here's an interesting idea: Would the idea of a human caring about any of your well being also be novel? If you find it too childish to take seriously, that's one thing, but it's so new, wouldn't you be just a little curious? Wouldn't they? Good for a few laughs anyway if you end up disliking it."

"You're basically saying we can mock you if we want to?" Callisto narrowed her eyes. "Why would you invite that?"

"Because I know it will happen anyway," Shine said. "But that is the price we pay for having a very unpopular belief system. And the price you all pay for looking different on the outside, which you can't help, or having powers that people don't like, which you can't help, is one I am willing to pay, willingly, here, right now. If you give me the simple chance to talk to them about it."

No one could have not been intrigued by this offer. It was too bizarre.

Callisto considered it for a long moment.

"And you have no power of hypnosis, or persuasion, to make us listen to you?"

"If I did, I wouldn't have fought you," Shine said. "I would have just told you to do as I said."

Callisto thought some more. "And you're aware they could take offense to you and run you out of here."

"I am perfectly aware of that," Shine said. "It would not be the first time it's happened to me."

Callisto shrugged. "If you want to pitch some crazy idea, we don't get a lot of entertainment down here, so I guess you can kill a few minutes for us. I admit, after your approach, I'm a little curious to hear what kind of garbage you're going to say anyway. Should be interesting. But if you start to do anything suspicious, or step out of line, I'll kill you. Some of us can stop mutations and hypnotize people, so don't push your luck."

"If I do anything other than talk, you have full permission to stop me," Shine held up her hands. "And I'll go quietly. But if I am attacked, you give me leave to defend myself as I see fit? Excluding killing, I do not kill."

"I guess I can't deny someone the right to fight for themselves, but I think it'd be a waste of your time, we outnumber you about 30 to one at least," Callisto shrugged. "I'll tell you, I'm only letting you do this because you have nerve, and while I think you're out of your mind, I like to see nerve. A strong leader is a rare find."

"I agree," Shine said. "And I asked you, because I thought this might be exactly what you would say." She tilted her head. "I could have done it without your permission, but it's best to work things out, don't you think? Not trying to start a whole war."

"A war you'd have lost," Callisto said. "But go ahead, talk to them all. Don't expect any help from me if you flounder."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Shine said. "But can I ask, my husband is no doubt outside by now, and he and I work as a team. I think you value having a strong partner down here. And, I promise, he'll treat you all as I will. Better, probably. Can he come inside?"

"He hasn't earned it," Callisto said.

"Well, I thought marriage meant you share everything," Shine said. "Including responsibility."

Callisto considered. "If he'll submit to our rules, I guess he can. But those X-men aren't coming. I've had enough of them interfering with us."

"I suppose I understand, but didn't they help Leech once," Shine said.

"Yeah, and they owed us that after abandoning us to being with," Callisto said stiffly. "I think they invite trouble. They think too much like surface dwellers...I can't tell with you, you're harder to read. But they want to be heroes."

"You're right about that," Shine said. "People who want to be heroes do always tend to think a certain way. I know a lot of them...but you won't hear me call myself that." She walked towards the larger area.

Callisto motioned Leech over. "Go get her...wait, what's his name?" She asked Shine.

"Oh, Wally West," Shine said.

"Go get Wally West if he's outside," Callisto said. "With the X-men, but don't let them in here."

"Storm never left," Leech told her.

"Well, Storm definitely earned that, so I guess we can't turn her out, but the others have no such privileges," Callisto said.

"Can I talk to Storm now?" Shine asked. "She might freak out if I don't explain."

"Do whatever you want, but she is not calling the others down here," Callisto insisted.

Shine walked out to where Storm was with the other Morlocks, who had been pestering her with questions about the surface world so much she could hardly focus on listening for any signs of a scuffle.

She seemed relieved to see Shine, which was touching.

"Did she...treat you fairly?" she asked.

"We had a lovely chat," Shine said. "I think we understand each other pretty well now. I'm going to talk to all of the Morlocks, I'd dearly love for Kurt to be here, but I could barely get her to let Wally come in. Is you communicator working?"

"Not very well," Storm said. "Jean has been communicating to my mind, but I had nothing to tell her. And it was faint as it was."

"If she probes again, tell her that none of them can come down here still," Shine said. "They won't allow it. But don't worry, I'm just going to talk to them for a bit, and then we'll be finished."

"Talk to them...about what?" Storm asked.

"Storm, if you can make your grand speeches to the Morlocks and offer them better, then I certainly can do the same." Shine said.

"They would refuse you," Storm said. "If you mean that they should come and live with us."

"No, I can't see that going well for you," Shine was a little too blunt. "Conflict of interest there. They were wise to turn you down on that, though it was well meant. But I am going to offer something they can use, even down here."

"If you mean your religion, I do not think that will go over well either," Storm said. "But it is your decision, and I will respect it. I have no power here anymore as it is."

"Well, you could fix that, but what would be the point?" Shine shrugged.

It was a few minutes of waiting, and the Morlocks gathered all in one place that had a bit of a natural reverb because of the empty walls, and Shine was pacing and muttering prayers, while Storm waited uncertainly to see what would happen.

Leech finally came back with Wally in tow.

"Shine!" he called, running up to her and grabbed her. "You scared the crap out of me!"

He kissed her forehead.

Shine hugged him back, making some of the young Morlocks make faces.

"Sorry, this just sort of happened, I have to fill you in later," she said.

"You better!" Wally said. "But I hear you whupped someone's tail in here, that's my girl!"

Callisto gave him a dirty look. "You're going to sit quietly and behave yourself, any funny business with my Morlocks and I'll have them flay you alive."

"Oh...wow, intense..." Wally said.

"I promised her you would do as I do," Shine said. "I promised no violence or anything except talking unless it was in self defense. She seems to feel this is not going to go well, but honey, you can't intervene. I wanted you to be here, but it was a time getting it to this point, so I don't think I can push more."

"Oh," Wally said. "Well, hey, you know I'm not good at speeches anyway," he shrugged. "You knock 'em dead--I mean, alive, you know what I mean. I'll just cheer. Anyway you came down here first, so you earned this."

"It's really okay?" Shine said. "I know we're a team."

"But I'm not a talker, so you do your thing," Wally gave her thumbs up. "And if it goes wrong, I can run."

Shine smiled. "Thanks Wally. Better go sit with Storm, she looks antsy."

Storm didn't look antsy to anyone who didn't know her that well, but apparently she did to Shine.

Wally joined her. "S'up?" he said. "This will be great, just wait...I wish Kurt could see this."

"I'm trying to patch them in," Storm said "But my signal is very poor. I doubt they'll hear more than 50% of the words. But I don't think they'd want to miss this...I can't imagine what she's going to say to them."

"Knowing Shine, neither can she," Wally said. "But she'll say it and it'll blow everyone's mind here, just you wait, I've heard her do it a million times."

Shine told Callisto she was ready, Callisto signaled for everyone to be quiet, then stepped back and took a seat like she had no intention of doing anything more...which of course, she didn't.

Shine cleared her throat.

***

Outside the X-men did try to listen in, and it was about as good as Storm predicted, some parts they caught more, but they sort of could piece together what was happening.

***

"I guess I should start with my name," Shine said. "I'm Shine, and, everyone asks if I'm a mutant, or a human...I guess, technically, I'm human, but, I don't really think it matters." She folded her hands. "I know that, to you, that seems stupid...but  I do have a reason." She looked up. "I simply focus on something higher than humanity. I wanted a chance to talk to all of you about God."

The Morlocks gave her very strange looks, but at least a few of the kids leaned in, curious.

"I'm aware of how random that sounds" Shine said "But I want to make a case to you, that I can persuade at least some of you that the God I serve is one you should care about, because He cares about you. It's about the most wild religion I know of, but, I believe it, because I think only something that doesn't make perfect sense to me, could explain this world, which is full of things that do not make sense to anyone."

That last line got their attention. A few nodded.

Shine drew a deep breath and went on: "I'm a teacher, by the way, so I have a lot of practice with speeches...and I have a lot of students. There's been a few I've been thinking of since I came down here...one especially, who I was teaching and counseling after he'd made a lot of very poor choices...ones you would have been shocked to hear of. But he was a very broken young man...too many bad things had happened to him, he lost his family, he was mistreated many times by one person he thought he could trust, he became an outcast from his people, and he was hunted for his powers...He does remind me of all of you in many ways. People feared him, and they envied him sometimes too. Maybe sometimes people like the idea of power, but they don't like to actually get it."

A few mutants could nod at that.

Storm was actually listening, Wally noted. She was leaning forward, intently.

Shine went on again. "When I spoke to him, I wasn't always sure what to say, how could I talk to him about a God of Love? No one had loved this boy, no one he could understand it from. And people despised him, feared him, and used him. More than that, he did so many things he was ashamed of, even, just on his own, that he hated himself. What could I say to him? And I know, I'm not wise enough, or smart enough, to have an answer for this...but what I do, when I think that, is I pray. I ask God...because of all the people of all time, God has suffered the most."

Blank looks.

"Oh, I know," Shine said. "We don't think of it that way, God is all powerful, how can He suffer? But, my Bible says that God suffers when we suffer. That he weeps with us and mourns with us, that He suffers even when we don't, because of the evil in the world. And it tells us that He suffered enough, in fact, to die for us. A brutal death. Long and painful. And to endure before that, people hating him, and rejecting him, accusing him of being the prince of demons, being a heretic, being corrupt. Having powers that they couldn't understand, they said He had them from the devil...something I've been accused of too. I know I'm not the only one."

People were nodding.

Shine nodded. "It's terrible, people hate what they can't understand...but imagine, God is too far beyond our understanding, people hate him. Hate him all the time. Some of you hate Him, I can see from your eyes. And I know why, I used to wonder if I should hate Him too...but now, I've started to think, God must suffer an awful lot...and yet...He doesn't stop it. He doesn't take it away from Himself, but he bears it all...and even, we're told, that Jesus, was made perfect by what he suffered...Suffered by choice...and I can't understand that...but, there's something that Jesus said about suffering, in his very first sermon, the one that He knew would set the tone for His whole time of serving us, that I think, helped me understand suffering better, and the suffering my student endured, he found it very deeply touching, so, I'm going to share it with you, because I think maybe it will make sense to all of you."

She closed her eyes and began to recite:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake." [Matthew 5:3-11]

She paused, no one moved.

She went on "In another place, He said even more: 

"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake." [Luke 6:20-22]

Still no one moved, but Wally saw a few people were wiping away tears.

Shine spoke very softly, though still loud enough to be heard:

"No matter where I go, and who I talk to, those passages seem to strike a chord. Because, no matter who you are, you've suffered. And you've had something in your life that hurt you...some of us have a lot of things. God doesn't promise us a life free of sorrow, because even He doesn't have that, and I think, maybe, it's just inevitable then. But God promises us that we who suffer will be blessed. That is His offer. That all the things we go through don't have to be meaningless, or to break us, but that they can be what make us worthy of being blessed. That maybe, the people who suffer the most, will have the most in the end."

She tugged her hair. "It sounds too good to be true doesn't it? But I think, that is what makes it true. If it sounded likely, if it sounded possible, we could do it for ourselves. And if that was true, why haven't we already? I think that humans, or mutants, just can't fix this mess. If we could surely, in thousands of years, we would have. But, because it is impossible, it has to be God who does this. And maybe, it's not right now, but the strange thing is, I've known so many people who once they accept God's offer, find that even in their lives, right now, in the middle of it all, it starts to become true...and I've experienced myself, how suffering and sorrow in my life became things I was actually grateful for, because somehow, they made me able to see something that made me much more joyful than any kind of pleasant circumstances ever have."

She glanced at Callisto as if waiting to see if she was going to get stopped, but Callisto was apparently not sure what to say.

"I think," Shine went on. "That God wanted me to come here, and tell all of you this. That, He has not put you here because He hates you, other people hate you, and they hated Him, and they will always hate, that's what people do when they aren't right. But that, God knowing this, is willing to share with you the same blessing He Himself has, that suffering is not the thing that has to tie us down in misery, but can become the thing that makes us able to have the best, and most full joy, in the end. God loves us enough to share suffering with us, instead of removing Himself from it, and then we get to share His life. It's an odd trade off, but I know, for a fact, it works, I've seen it. God put you all here, right now, with each other, so that you could get a chance to have the better thing. Not a life free of trouble, but a life that will be blessed, regardless of trouble."

She looked down. "That's what I wanted to tell you about. He died to make that happen, and it's free. The only price is you have to trust that more than revenge, and more than our effort to fix all this crap on our own, and to recognize we never will. That's a hard thing, but if you get past it, I can't tell you what a relief it is. That is all I have to say."

All?

There was almost a collective sigh around the room as people looked at each other and then at her. Not sure what to do.

Callisto was dead silent.

"Well, how do we get that?" One of the kids suddenly said. 

And that just started a whole wave, it wasn't every Morlock in the room, but at least 10 or 12 of them must have just burst out with asking how it was possible and how could they start, especially the kids.

Shine didn't have time to hardly breathe before she was trying to answer.

Wally got up to help sort it out, he saw Storm just watching, speechless.

It took some time to get to everyone, and once they started, the Morlocks began to tell them their stories...very heartbreaking stories they were, and to cry, or even to get angry.

It was chaos.

But then they would say "but you're saying that all that can make me blessed? How? Where do I get that?"

Before anyone really knew what had happened, it had been two hours straight of this.

Callisto did nothing to stop it at any time.

The Morlocks who were not interested were either sullen about the whole thing or just intimidated, and kind of stayed out of it. Some of the meaner ones shot Shine very hostile looks, but they didn't interfere. Clearly all of them were allowed to do as they pleased on these matters.

Finally, when it was subsiding, Shine had to promise to come back soon and tell them more about it.

Shine had to ask Callisto if this was okay.

Since so many people were asking, Callisto gave in, very reluctantly. "But don't be bringing those X-men with you," she said. "And don't get too carried away."

"Shine," Wally said. "The X-men have been waiting outside for hours...I think. Do you think they're still there."

"Oh... surely they went home, right?" Shine said. "I mean...clearly we were fine...where's Storm?"

Storm was still there.

"I didn't think I should leave." She said. "I heard some...well, some interesting stories while I was waiting...are you done?"

"We'd better be, it must be around 10 o'clock at night," Shine said.

"It's nearly 1 am," Storm said.

Shine blinked. "Oh gosh, how late was it when I got down here."

"I think it was at least 10:30 when we finally found you ," Wally said. "Could have been later."

"Let's go," Shine said.

[Whew...

I don't know if you'll agree or disagree with how persuasive this chapter was. (Everyone is so different.)

But in my experience and studying, some people are hard to convince, and other aren't. I couldn't make every Morlock be persuaded, but I also think it's silly if all of them were holdouts, because that's just now how people work.

I allow for that when I write, and also for skeptics, fair and balanced right?]