Post by adrini on Mar 2, 2015 18:29:42 GMT -5
X-Factor Chapter 8:
Needed Help
“How many can there be?” Wanda asked, looking out of their window at the Haven. Now healed and healthy she and Pietro had been given a place, complete with classes and ‘suggested social events’.
“Well, considering how many freakin’ arseholes there are in the world it makes sense.” Her brother said, walking over. “Why try to learn something new when you can hurt people instead.”
“Pretty much.” She couldn’t argue with that. There were four buses so far, teens to toddlers, walking in one long line into the compound.
“What’s the story here?” Pietro asked, looking as well. “Quite the catch.”
“Surrendered to the state.” A male voice said behind him. “Left behind. They’ll need work.
”
The two turned to see a red haired man with ruby glasses at the door, leaning on the frame. He wasn’t in any particular uniform.
“What’s it to you?” Pietro asked, walking over. “And in case you hadn’t noticed this was our rooms, so bug off.”
The man looked amused for a moment, looking at him.
“I said sod off.” Pietro said again.
“Fine, I mean I was told you were interested in the team but things change.” He said, slipping his hands into his pockets before starting to leave.
“Wait!” Wanda hurried, jabbing her brother in the gut as she rushed. “We are, please don’t go.”
“So you are then?” He asked, even Pietro though Pietro was looking at him unbelieving.
“Sure, but who are you?” He asked. Wanda turned to glare at him but the man stopped her.
“No, it’s a valid question. Considering how many, let’s say, people who lack perspective there are in this world it’s good to be careful.” The man said, pulling out a card and showing it to them. “Good instincts. Commander Summers, head of X-factor. Never be afraid to ask. Walk with me.”
They walked into the center hall, where the children were being processed and given rooms, and watched for a moment.
“Humor me.” The commander said. “What so you see?”
“Poor bastards.” Pietro said right off. “Has to suck to be left behind like that.”
“True, Wanda?” He looked at her.
“What’s going to happen to them?” She asked, a little shaken that he knew her name. “This place has food and shelter, sure, but that’s not a future.”
“Not bad.” He said, nodding. “Right on both counts. You want to join the team, which is flattering, but you need to understand what the team is to even know what you’re joining.”
“You take out evil assholes.” Pietro said simply. “It’s not that complicated.”
“That’s part of it.” He replied. “But we also take out terrified parents and relatives, people who have lost loved ones to mutant explosions, and people who have suffered from outbursts from kids too young to know who and what they are – let alone how to control it. Not all powers are benign.”
“It’s not like we can help who we are!” Pietro was upset. “We were born this way.”
The man nodded and lifted his glasses for a moment, and a red beam destroyed a nearby flowerpot.
“All glasses, all the time. Or else.” He said simply and the two had to see the point. “And yes, I was born with it. But until I got here and learned how to control it I also hurt a lot of people with it. Were they at fault for not being born with steel skin?”
“So you’re telling us the whole thing is BS.” Pietro said, and Wanda couldn’t disagree.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” He agreed. “We don’t want to be killed and hunted, but neither do they. I can’t really argue with either. I don’t know what the answer is, but this is our stopgap, as it were. Here, with food and shelter, but what future? But right now it’s the best we can do. X-Factor pulls people from the world of danger where they could have a life to the world of safety here more often than not without one. The grounds just aren’t that big. That’s what you’re looking to join.”
“There’s no future in death.” Wanda said, finding her voice. Yes, life with their family was free, but it had ended in bloodshed. Here they could survive.
“Which is exactly how we choose who to save.” Commander Summers was impressed. “Pull people when it’s the best and last hope. Give them a chance to make it work first, best we can do.”
“Wait, so is this an interview?” Pietro asked, looking at him. “You’re pretty high up for a social visit.”
“Your powers are strong, your scores have been good. You really have been working. And you have a friend on the inside.” He explained, the two looked at each other, Jean had come through. “One week. You get one week to show us what you’re made of. We’ll go from there. You can see if you really want this. Fair?”
“Ya, fair.” Pietro said, irony free from his voice. “When do we go?”
“Pack your bags and be ready to go in an hour.” He said. “That’s sharp.”
“I don’t recon we’ll be getting help anytime soon?” Rogue asked, melting into the sofa. Her joints cracked as she settled in. Nearby Maria, who seemed to never get tired after a mission, was looking over the team calendar and making sure it was updated.
“We are, actually.” She said and walked over. “Trainees. You can tell me if they serve after a week.”
“I want a Jean, three of them, to make every person in five square feet stand at attention while we take who we want.” Alex said and fell dramatically into the other end of the sofa. “Wake me when the race is done evolving. And there better be flying cars.”
“That was a difficult day.” Poitr was in the kitchen getting a meal going, but he wasn’t unsympathetic. “But there are those worse off than us.”
“Better for us showing up though.” Jubs worked around both Maria and Poitr to grab cans of beer from the fridge. “Hey, this is the light stuff.”
“It has not gone unnoticed that you are fond of beer.” Poitr said, amused. “You are still young to be drinking that.”
“But there’s no way to get buzzed off this stuff.” She glared at the can.
“That’s the point. Take it or leave it.” Maria said without any sympathy and finished marking the pages. “Okay, good dent but don’t plan on sleeping in. Tomorrow should be a little less hectic.”
“That’s code for only a 12 hour day, isn’t it?” Alex mumbled into the sofa. “Fine, I’ll get my kicks in now. Jubs, make those ski’s and bring extras. We’re jumping on.”
Putting the light beers, or as she called them ‘piss water’, back in the fridge she grabbed a six pack of highly caffeinated soda and ran over as Rogue sat up and Alex turned the game system on.
“Grabbin’ snacks.” Rogue said, getting up, as Jubilee dropped a bag of chips in her lap. “Thanks, Suga’.”
“No problem.” Maria hid a smile and turned to Poitr as he got the meal going.
“Are you sure what you saw?” She asked, he checked to make sure that the others were busy.
“That was not a controlled power, though you could see she was trying.” He said softly. “I do not think it is a matter of will, Maria. I think it is a matter of raw power.”
“Have you talked to Scott?” She asked, the three were fully in the game now.
“She is aware and worried. The doctor will have a full scan ready tomorrow but she is trying to strengthen her meditation to help till more can be done.” He finished the sauce and looked for rolls. “I can think of nothing more she can do.”
“Neither can I.” Maria sighed. “I only hope it’s enough.”
--X-Factor—
Elixir walked to the MRI room and watched as his friend and collogue stayed to stay as still as possible to let the machine do its job. Jean was calm, or tried to appear to be, but looking at her brain scan he knew otherwise. She was terrified.
The process ended and she got up and changed. He sent the reports to the cloud to be pulled up in his office. She was already there when he arrived.
“Anything? Is it growing, shrinking?” Jean stood up as he walked in. “I tried the focusing thing first this time, did it help?”
“Lets find out.” This was her third scan, they were hoping to crack the code of what was going on.
He opened the new scan and took a moment to compare it to the others, as well as look at it alone. Meanwhile Jean paced behind him and looked over his shoulder every few moments.
“Sit!” He said firmly and handed her the book of hospital guidelines. “Give me a minute.”
Able to work he looked at the set but couldn’t see any real difference. It wasn’t the answer they wanted.
“A dent, but not enough.” He said, Jean looked crushed. “I’m sorry.”
“How long till I go to the tunnels?” She asked, looking at the floor.
“It, I don’t know. We’ll keep looking.” She nodded, but this was scary. Mutants who weren’t safe to be near others were sent to the tunnels and tended not to be seen again. Her life, complete with husband and dreams of a family one day, had just begun. It could just as easily end.
They walked into the front rooms, she needed to get back to the team. Once there he saw a few new staff members and a guard getting settled in. Jean nodded and walked over to make introductions. They did first.
“Ah, just who I was looking for.” The booking nurse beamed. “Doctor, this might be of interest to you. New specialists in Mentalist Studies.”
“Mainly in focus and control, actually. Harnessing expanding amplitude. We were told you had a number of mentalists in your system, we could be of more use here than elsewhere.” The young woman had red hair bound in a tight bun and was young her for age. Her eyes, green, were hidden behind thick glasses. The man next to her nodded and stood by defensively. “Dr. Green, and my assistant Mr. Hawk. I hope we can be of use.”
Elixir couldn’t stop himself from looking at his patient, Jean was still thinking about the new physicians. It took a moment but she shrugged.
“Nothing to lose.” She said and walked to them. “You very well may be, when do you start?”
--X-Factor—
The Quinjet was busy so Scott was driving the newest recruits to the base in his car, and after four hours with them during the drive he was starting to get a feel for the two.
They were twins, paternal, but still very close. Wanda was the thoughtful one, and came off as the leader, but Pietro was the guard who was always looking to preempt attacks or deflect attention from his sister. They were still working through what happened but also trying to move on. It was a healthy attitude to have.
“When do we go in the field?” Wanda asked, finishing her drive though. “I mean, we’re needed, right?”
“That would be problematic.” He said in response. They were needed, the team was overrun with missions. “There’s a difference between studying and doing.”
“So you brought us all the way out here to, what, play with out thumbs?” Pietro asked, Scott could hear him roll his eyes. “Typical.”
“I brought you out here to try the Danger Room.” Scott said and the two looked at him. “We’ve programmed it with exact replicas of several real missions we faced in the last six months. The safety is on, but the experience will seem very real. If you prove yourself there you’ll be formally invited to stay. We try not to kill our trainees.”
“So missions that you really did!” Wanda was suddenly interested. “Jean to? So I can do the telepath part like she did?”
“Yes, I suppose you will be playing the Lt. Commander’s part.” He said, not sure how he felt about them being so close to his wife.
“Wait, she’s on your team. Can’t you at least say ‘Agent Grey’?” Pietro asked, likely assuming an insult. “She’s really good at her job.”
“I thought the team was close?” Wanda asked.
“We’re married.” He said, holding up the hand with the gold band. “And my brother is on the team as well. We have three Agent Summers now. Still trying to find out how to make that work over the comms.”
“That’s fair.” Wanda said, a little surprised. “It makes sense.”
They arrived at the base and drive in to find that Jean was there with a few people working with the Danger Room. She smiled as she saw the two new teens and they grinned back and hurried over.
“I thought we were using this room.” Pietro asked, concerned. He really wanted to get started. “What are you doing?”
“Minor alterations, it will be ready to use again by dinner.” Jean assured the young man, he was almost polite to her. “How was the drive?”
“Good.” Wanda said and looked at the people working on the console. “But where is the restroom?”
“You both have your own, and you’ll need to move in anyway.” Jean lead the twins to their rooms and grinned at her husband as he dropped off their bags after them. “Feel free to get settled and relax for a bit. There won’t be much to do till about seven or so.”
Walking back Scott pulled her aside and took a moment.
“Alright, who are they?” He asked and she checked to make sure no one was listening.
“None of the techniques worked, and the pulses were only getting stronger.” Jean said in hushed tones. “We checked multiable times, but if anything it was getting worse.”
“So you try something else, there has to be options.” He was not losing her now.
“That’s what I’m doing. Those are Mentalist Specialists. This is their field exactly. They have a number of ideas about things that might help contain my abilities.” She explained and he nodded.
“How fast is it growing?” He asked, not wanting to know.
“It’s this or the tunnels. I don’t want to leave.” She sighed. “We have to work with them.”
“Then let’s hope this works.” Scott pulled his wife close. His eyes closed he missed the look the two specialists shared.
--X-Factor—
“Everyone is busy.” Nathen said as Rachel put in the codes for the new module. “We have another hour or so. Almost done?”
“Just adding advanced levels. Should hold off the worst of it for the time.” She was busily finishing the programming. “Think they bought it?”
“Maria’s on to us, has to be.” He leaned on the wall. “We were way too convenient.”
“We got in.” She dismissed the concern. “Okay. This will hold Mom over till the next the increase. And don’t worry, once this works we’re golden.”
“You don’t know these people like I do, Rach.” He wished cigs were allowed in this place. “If we’re found out, we’re done.”
“If we were anyone else, yes.” Rachel said and stood up. “But not us.”
“We’re not bullet proof, you should know that.” Nathan picked up the tool kit. “How are we special?”
“Cause we’re the only people who can save Mom from the tunnels, and Dad knows it, well he will anyway.” She said and stood up. “And if nothing else we’re family. They have the lab and we have the blood. Either way we’re in.”
He had to admit it, she wasn’t holding back. Whatever it took she was getting that peach wall back.
--X-factor—
“Maria.” Mystic said as she walked into the room, Maria stood and nodded. It was a small office but the most secure location on the base. Meeting her here was never a good sign.
“You weren’t noticed?” Maria asked, and Mystic shook her head.
“No, I was careful.” She sat down. “There’s a problem?”
“Two. The new specialists, look into them. There’s more there and I don’t trust it, even if they are trying to help.”
“Understood, and the second?” Maria flexed her hands, they were white. When she spoke she wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Jean is a friend, but she’s also a potential Omega level mutant. If she ends up losing it this place, the people in it and a whole lot more are toast. Watch, and if it gets there let me know.” Maria said, resolved.
“The Incinerator.” Mystic said, closing her eyes. As much as she hated it made sense. Jean had never been told how strong her ability really was, it was deemed a risk.
“Let us hope it never comes to that.” Maria confirmed. “But yes.”