Post by adrini on Sept 27, 2015 21:15:00 GMT -5
X-Factor
Chapter 13:
Rest
Monday Morning, Xavier Academy
“What time is it?” Jean said, beginning to looking around. Awake and next to her in the king size bed Scott knew the feeling. It was after ten. At the base they would have woken at five sharp, finished drills by six, and had meetings or training by now. Neither of the young couple could really remember the last time anyone on the team at slept in this late.
“Doesn’t matter.” Because in the end it didn’t. His wife was safe, his team was out, and if need be they would have a future here. They could still do their work, this time without the threat of death. “You crashed pretty hard last night.”
She didn’t say anything but pulled him close, and they stayed like that for a time. Not long after they got ready and changed into the waiting civilian clothing. When they left the room the rest of the team was waiting for them
Alex, Rachel, Rogue and Piotr were already dressed, sitting in the sitting room closely together. Rogue seemed fairly happy, but the others were still tense.
“Hey, we made it.” Alex walked over, giving Scott a brotherly hug. He only smiled at his sister-in-law, Scott clearly possessive at the moment. “There wasn’t a stated time for the meeting with the C.O. here.”
“I believe that Director Xavier does not have a time set for this event. We must remember these are civilians.” Piotr wasn’t far behind.
Scott looked at his red head who smirked and nodded that Piotr was correct. She was compromised, processing command trauma. This was still his team.
“Rogue, Piotr you get intel. I want layout, points of interest, anything we need to know. Rachel, the war is still going so we are still training. They have to have a training room. Find it, program it. As soon as you do let me know. We have people counting on us to be ready to do what we need to.” Alex looked left out for a time but Scott got to him as well. “I’m going to verify a time with our new C.O., and I want you to look after Jean.”
Alex nodded, understanding. Scott was trusting him with the most priceless thing he had in his life. Rogue and Piotr hurried off to map the area, and Rachel already seemed to know where the training room was. Turning back around Alex saw his charge walk into the nearby gardens.
“I’m fine, you can help the others.” She said, as she reached a bench looking over the grounds. They were nice. “This is a safe place of mine.”
“Orders.” Alex said simply, grinning a little. “You were here before, what is it like?”
X-Factor
Monday Morning, Tulsa, Oklahoma
“Just anywhere is fine.” Skye said, moving boxes. “I know it’s tight, place isn’t meant for this many people.
Wanda was carefully finding a place to sit, and Jubs was doing the same but Pietro had to be glared at not to knock over the computer tower to make room. At Skye’s sharp look he sat down but his nearness to her equipment still made her nervous.
“We’re crashing at a hotel for the time being, I own it.” Skye said, working her machine. “Or one of my alias’ do, same diff. We’re the active team while the big names go into hiding and deal with SHIELD. Which means that those are ours.”
She pointed to an increasingly pile of papers coming out of the printer. Jubilee reached over and looked at the first finished pile she could.
“Wait, we’re the rescue team?” Her eyes were wide. “We’re junior members, barely half trained.”
“These are the people being targeted by the -Friends-.” Wanda was looking over another job. “Pietro, look, they are like us!”
Any inclination to cause a fuss was gone as the young man looked over the information from his sister.
“We need to go, they are in danger Pietro. They cannot be hurt like we were hurt!” Wanda pleaded with her brother and the others. Jubs looked at the map.
“She’s just over an hour away. We drop her at the SHIELD safe house and signal for them to pick her up.” They small team moved to get out of the room. “You up for this Wanda? The calming will be all you.”
“I will do what I have been trained to do.” The dark hair teen said, her think accent making the statement sound rather dramatic. “We are needed elsewhere.”
X-Factor
Tuesday Afternoon, X-Factor Main base. Buttersworth, West Virginia
“I cannot keep coming out here Maria!” The now familiar voice filled the front room of the base. “Get out here!”
Knowing there was no answer to give Maria had been avoiding her boss, but now that wasn’t possible. She walked into view and settled herself, he was not going to like what she had to say.
“General.” She said properly, saluting. “Pleasure to have you here, sir.”
Fury glowered at first, but then he noticed his surroundings. His very quiet surroundings. Noticing this he looked at her again, this time seeming to get it.
“How bad was she?” They both knew who he was talking about, not using the name just made it easier to say.
“Getting there, she broke Omega last month, but didn’t have the control. According to protocol the program was activated.” He didn’t need it explained, but nodded none the less. “Somehow they found out. I’m guessing the hacker.”
“I can’t blame ‘em.” Fury said, torn by what he now had to do. “Find ‘em. Maybe we’ll find a way but if not the plan remains the same. Anything else?”
“Ya, and it’s making me feel like a heel.” Maria nodded to the meeting room. “They’re still working.”
There was a pile of files sitting on the table, each a mutant rescued by the still active team. The younger set, but clearly under direction from the vets.
“Dropped at safe houses, ready to go. Not as many FOH’s are making it away alive but I’m not counting that as a loss.” Maria sat down at the table. “Plus they’re filling reports of FOH abuse with local federal offices based on reports from the mutants they rescue.”
“Scott’s old idea. Is it working?” Fury couldn’t say the kids were doing bad work. The rescue rate was almost the same as before.
“Several chapters are understood to be under investigation. At least one leader has been put under arrest.” She nodded. “It working.”
“Well damn.” The man didn’t say more. “Fair enough.”
He turned and left, without giving orders, and Maria again looked to sit down. Then, by the door, he stopped.
“Hill.” He said, not bothering to turn. “Work with ‘em. Maybe they’ve earned it after all.”
She only sighed, and smiled a little. Once again hopeful that her kids might come home.
X-Factor
Outside Xavier Academy, Wednesday Morning
“What part of ‘I don’t like you’ don’t you get Summers.” Bishop said as Cable pulled up to the small two bedroom suburban. “I am not picking out curtains.”
“Save it, this is to be close to Rach. You don’t have to be here.” Getting out and walking into the house Cable put his bag on the floor. It was basically furnished, nothing that would win any rewards.
“Let me guess, Mom and Dad are here.” His companion followed. “There some plan to all this?”
“Remember this?” He pulled out a case, now in his care as Rachel was being watched. Even Bishop had to react.
“They developed that late, after Pheonix was taken. It would have changed everything.” The tiara, almost invisible when worn, was more rumor then fact in the dark days of their time.
“Now it will.” Cable said simply. “We just need to get it to her.”
“And say what, exactly?” Bishop asked. “They don’t know you from Adam.“
“They know us as the experts that can still save Mom’s life.” Cable said, carefully putting the box in his jacket. “We’ll see if that’s enough.”
X-Factor
Hellfire Club, Rochester, New York. Thursday, noon.
The building was from the gilded age, the wide and tall columns were flanked with gold tinted walls and the best of antiques. The whole setting made it clear important people were at work here.
In the inner chamber a wide table of fine dark wood was covered with polished silver, decedent treats and the best stationary. Matching hand carved chairs awaited use. Walking into the great hall a woman blonde and pale, and wearing a tight white outfit seemed at home, and pulled a satin cord. A great bell chimed.
The mammoth doors opened and the other members of the group appeared. Some were powerful men in expensive suits, some were less well off. Two were kids who followed after the woman, clearly mutants. One was clearly not human, mutant or otherwise. But whoever they were they sat down and a meeting was called to order.
The room centered on it’s leader, a dramatically pale man with dark hair, and seemed to pay rapt attention. The man kept the woman in white, who was smirking widely, at his side.
“At last.” The man said, standing to address those attending. “Welcome to you all. I am here because it is time. The world should be ours, and it will be ours. We just have a few, well, distractions to deal with.”
The center of the table opened and portraits, people everyone at the table knew, were shown. In basic black uniforms and sleek military dress most of the people present began to glare.
“Indeed. But their team has new additions.” Two more rose, both in different clothing. “These are people from the future, my time. The prodigy of the team if allowed to exist, just as dangerous as the seed they come from.”
The two settled under two of the pre-existing portraits, the nearness making the likeness obvious.
“The X-Gene is our hope and the thing that can stop is best.” Sinister said, as he opened the discussion. “It must be controlled or destroyed.”
X-Factor
Thursday evening, Xavier Acadamy
Usually Scott was proud after missions, careful to fill out information, see all viable information was filed and signed for. He would finish the report, pass it over to her for minor typos and mistakes, then place it in Maria’s box along with hers before they would retire to the group for some relaxation before the next day’s work. Unless they chose to claim the rest of the day for themselves, which was also a very nice option. No aspect of ‘normal’ was the case here.
The mission to New York was barely a challenge by their usual standards. Piotr smashed a few things, she influenced a far weaker mind, and Scott got some target practice in. She liked the team here, they were certainly colorful, but they were parbaked compared to X-Factor standards. More then ever she was convinced the mutants of the world still needed both teams. Offering a home, even a ‘Utopia’ wasn’t going to cut sloppy tactics.
It was a reality Scott was dealing with as well. She could hear his mind race in her own and it was giving her a headache.
“They lack foresight, planning, a base of information and response for optional outcomes and depended almost entirely on luck.” She said, putting into simpler terms what her husband was ranting. “It could have gone far, far worse and they wouldn’t have paid for it.”
“Exactly.” The man said, barely remembering to put the ruby glasses back in place. “It was sloppy, shodden-“
“Which is why we let they show us their best act.” She added, and he stopped raving, and nodded.
“That’s just where they are. Now we know, you were gathering intel. Of course.” He was calming now. “And you knew no one would get hurt. They teach you to believe in luck?”
“No, I stopped believing in luck long ago, things happen only by desperate hard work. I believe in you.” It was easier to flirt in civies, they were less restrictive. And it seemed he liked her in them. “You wouldn’t have let anyone get hurt and if it got too bad you would have taken over without a thought. The mission was well within your prevue.”
“Fair enough.” He smiled, in a far better mood. Being used to being the commander in charge his new reality as a refugee was not something he was enjoying. “I assume I have your permission to take charge if anything like that comes up again. I don’t see much of a life here, Jean. No matter how well meaning they are. We have work to do, we need to place to work from.”
“I could mentally alter the entirety of SHIELD.” Jean said dryly, her near execution hadn’t endeared the group to her. “Make them accept us, but I suppose that would be wrong of me.”
“Very wrong.” Scott hid a smile, he actually liked the darker side that Jean hid, she never acted on it but it was funny as hell. “Keep it in mind. What would you say about terms? We write the rules this time, make the unit Mutant led. Our call.”
By now he was holding his wife again, not that she ever minded, and watched her think about the idea. It seemed to grow on her.
“Yes.” She said simply, liking the simplicity of the plan. “We’ll work on it, a good start of basic requirements. I’m sure everyone will have ideas.”
Scott opened the door, and they saw the rest of the team in the sitting room. The others were still sticking to known groups, though the two Professor X had sent were there also. As the couple entered Alex, Rogue and Piotr looked up, anxious. Rachel only smiled. Ororo and Kurt, also called Storm and Nightcrawler, stood up. Ororo was regal, and carried herself with grace. Kurt seemed like a fun kid, good but young. They had both gone out of their way to welcome the team.
“I am told that group decisions come from you.” Ororo said kindly and nodded her head politely. “I am to be of whatever use to you I may be. The professor spoke of you many times Miss Grey, always fondly.”
“If we’re off duty it’s Mrs. Summers, or just Jean.” Jean said, stopping her husband or brother-in-law from bristling too much. “Thank you for your welcome, there is a matter you both might be some help on.”
“Oh yikes.” Kurt jumped to focus, as Ororo smiled in apology. He was energetic. “Ya, sure. Name it.”
“We need a copy of by-laws, regulations and standards.” Scott said simply. “As well as imput for what seems to be effective in regulation.”
“Are we taking ov’a sug’a?” Rogue asked, leaning forward. “We aren’t kicking the old man out, are we?”
“SHIELD has many resources that are still needed, Scott.” Piotr, undoubtedly thinking of his sister, looked worried.
“We’re offering terms.” Jean said, by way of explanation. “Call it a first attempt at peace.”
“The Professor hasn’t told us what happened?” Kurt said, poofing over to ask the question. “We get you had to leave for some reason.”
Ororo was motioning for the teen to come back, but he was suddenly fascinated by the new mutants. He looked to Scott or Jean to tell him but it was Alex who filled them in.
“Jean is an Omega, telepathy and telekinesis. She’s been working on control but her power was out growing her training. They were going to put her down.” He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and defensive. Clearly he would get her out again. “We left.”
The team all affirmed this, through one motion or another. Kurt almost lost his balance and poofed to a chair himself. Ororo closed her eyes and crossed to give the telepath a hug.
“And from a place you called home.” She said, when she leaned back. “I am so sorry. I will gather our law books, mutants deserve a home that is safe. Here you are, do what you like during your stay.”
“Well, if the invitations open-“ Rogue got up and walked out, Kurt laughed and the others hid a smile. They only hoped the man from earlier was good at hiding.
“We’ve missed out on a few games.” Alex said, eager. “I’ve been avoiding spoilers all week.”
“Did I see a game system in the common room?” Piotr asked soon after. “It would be nice.”
The two left and Rachel walked over, standing near the team leaders. Poofing close Kurt noticed a resemblance to both of them.
“I am here to train the team. I would like to program the danger room you have for the team during their stay. I was prevented earlier.” She sounded vexed. “If we don’t keep up with training-“
“I will have a word, I understand.” Ororo said quickly, the woman’s focus on her job clear. “I will let you know soon. And you?”
“There might be something.” Scott said, as Jean looked away to hide a smile. “Do don’t have a pool table, do you?”
X-factor
Friday Morning, Florida State University
“Ready Scarlet?” Jubs said as she got into position. “Target coming to you in a few minutes, just get her out of here.”
Wanda, hiding behind a nearby wall, nodded as her earpiece went off. No longer having a steady telepath the team had instead gone for a technical means of communication.
“Quick, keep an eye out for reinforcements. I’ll be hacking them from here, just need to distract them.” Skye was busy in her van, also known as the getaway car.
The mutant in question wasn’t the problem. She had contacted the rescue group herself and even set up her pick up point. A shy academic the Indian student had the power to create the vision of what she read or saw in her mind, as a history major this was increasingly problematic even if the visions weren’t real. Once she left the library, the place she swore she always was on the weekends, they would grab her and leave. Even her family was on board with the plan. The increased watches were Scott’s idea. Through Jean he had assured them that even the most cut and dry mission could still get complicated fast.
It was about time that she leave the building but no one had, watching Jubs felt her stomach sink. This was a bad sign. It wasn’t lost on Skye either, who hacked into the security feeds and scrambled to the back of the van.
“Get in there, now!” She yelled, getting into costume herself. They didn’t have uniforms anymore. “Sentinels!”
They ran to the wide window and could easily see the metal monsters corralling the weekend inhabitants of the library into a corner. Breaking the glass with vibrations, it was easy to forget that Skye was a mutant as well, the small team rushed in to see the sentinels smashing the building. Thankfully their teachers were watching.
-This was you, Jubilee.- Jean’s voice rang in their heads. –They are after mutants, you need to get them out and the rest of the building will be left behind. Two teams, one to grab and the other to distract. Choose quickly.-
Nervous they looked at each other but there was only one line up that worked. Wanda and Pietro rushed the metal giants, making as much noise as they could while Skye and Jubilee moved to the back of the room and tied to work into the crowd.
Busy with the metal invaders Pietro was using his speed to distract the blows, now directed away from key support points. Wanda was using her mental force to move them into safer area, scanning their shell for points of weakness.
-Perfect, Wanda.- She heard Scott’s voice in her head. They were still watching. – Exactly what you need to do. In this model there are four points. Back of the knees are the easiest, but base of the back of the neck and the control panel at the top of the head are best. Look for things that can jar them, we trained for this.”
They had, Wanda remembered the lessons. Pietro would pick her up and moved to her safer spots not and again, annoying but a good idea, but she got her shot. She ‘grabbed’ three chairs, throwing them at the neck spots and missing.
-So close, okay, try it again. Together.- Wanda could feel her fellow telepath in the back of her mind. –I’m here, down from three.-
With the help focusing she got all three in the back of the neck with classroom chairs, they started sputtering and moving erratically. Pietro was also getting directions and cleared a way out of the room. Running to the van she saw Jubs loading six students into the back.
“She invited mutant friends.” The girls said by way of explanation. Skye was already in the driver’s seat and honking to get going. It was going to be crampt.
The six were quiet, terrified. Another group with stories to be healed. It didn’t help getting upset, but watching both she and her brother were anyway. SHIELD needed to stop being stupid and let them come home. There would be no Jean to calm them, hurt kids would pay for their stupid protocol.
X-Factor
Friday Morning, X-Factor Main Base
Mystique was rarely emotional. A lifetime of lies had taught her not to get invested. However this was more difficult. She we getting a taste of the other life.
The rest of the team being gone she and Maria were taking over the jobs they had once left to the others. It was leaving her drained, more drained then she had been in sometime. She was actually impressed with how professional the team had been in their time here.
She transported the rescues, but didn’t know them personally. They clung to the team, she had seen it as weakness. She knew better now.
In the past two weeks she had dealt with kids who were barely stabilized, ones that were scared into being almost non-responsive, and more physical wounds then she cared to think. And she only saw the visible wounds, Jean had healed the mind. She couldn’t begin to imagine.
The mail had arrived. Maria, between pick-ups, went to meetings and looked after the base. She had brought in the mail but not gone through it. Nothing better to do.
She put the boxes and magazines in the various room, untouched since they left. At the end there was one letter addressed to Hill herself. Using real names was strictly against regulation, no one knew their names outside of the team. Realizing what the name meant she tore open the envelope.
“Maria!” It was an offer, the beginning of one. They were willing to discuss returning, finally. Maria was signing off on it, no matter what it said. This was how her little girl came home.
X-Factor
Friday evening, Xavier Academy
“Rachel, right?” The red head turned at the sound of a voice behind her. It was Kurt, she remembered him a little. “What are you up to?”
He was young, a little goofy, and very sweet. She couldn’t help but smile. She motioned to the wires in her hand.
“She has a job to do, like they all do.” It was the woman from earlier. “Though what it is she is keeping to herself. I was wondering if I could have a moment.”
Rachel put the wires away and leaned back into her chair, Storm was smart but there was no way she had figured it out.
“Personal monitors.” She explained, holding up a finished one. “Make sure everyone stays solid in battle. It can get hairy. Can I use the danger room yet? They can’t train without the programs.”
Ororo motioned for the matter to be dropped, again, and sat down as well.
“Help me understand the team.” She said, disarming the conversation. “It isn’t like I’ve seen before.”
“It’s X-Factor.” Rachel said, offering nothing in explanation at first. “We’re different. Harder, I guess. Not as many happy endings. Just being here and doing our job is about as much as we can really ask.”
“Sounds terrible.” Kurt was balancing on a chair nearby, did he never sit?
“No.” She said, and smiled. The last few weeks had been heaven. “I love it.”
“So do the others, what do you do?” Ororo asked, this time more direct.
“Well, it’s complicated. I guess you could say we save people.” Rachel looked for the words, she had seen most of the workings in her time there. “The main team are field agents, they pull at risk mutants from the outside when it gets too hot. We have a hospital that focuses on mutant recovery, the physiology is not the same. There’s a few retreats, depending on how damaged people are when we get them. And there’s always the SHIELD missions we can get called for, though that isn’t common. Even most of SHIELD doesn’t know about us.”
“You have a whole set up, where do you live when you aren’t at work?” Kurt liked the idea.
“We’re always at work.” She said, speaking the basic fact. “There’s always work to do. We don’t get to everyone who needs us as is. It’s pretty constant. We had a base, it was nice. Home enough. You can ask the others, I’m more on the outside being the tech help, but it’s a tight little family. We have good times and do good work. I’m proud to be part of it.”
Kurt seemed concerned by the thought that mutants were still in danger but Ororo wasn’t surprised. She seemed to be fully aware.
“How many do you loose?” She asked, but she seemed to have an idea.
“You’d have to ask Jean, she’s the one who tracks this stuff. But I guess about two a day on good days, more isn’t uncommon.” Her audience seemed effected by the number. “Not because we don’t try! There’s just a lot of hate right now, it’s complicated.”
“No, hate is very simple.” The woman said. “And terrible. What can we do to help?”
“We’re fine.” Rachel shrugged, picking up her device again. “But at risk mutants will be better off the sooner we can get back to work, and the more hands the better. There’s never enough help. If you’re really serious.”
Kurt felt for them, he had seen enough on the missions here to know what it could be out there. But Ororo looked really effected.
“But for now the only thing that comes to mind is the training programs, those would be really nice. I’ll put ones together for you to, if you want.” Rachel was already finishing another monitor.