AN: Hello everyone I must apologize once more for taking so long to well post anything. I'm a very busy person right now with 3 jobs and grad school taking a lot if not all of my time. Thankfully this week I have been on spring break and I got some time in to get some fresh writing done. I'm interested to see what everyone thinks since it has been a while since I've posted. Also note that if you haven't read Knight's Calling and the one shots accompanying it this short story will make no sense to you whatsoever. Have fun and I'll try to get better at posting in a more timely manner.
Rain seemed to pour out of the clouds as Alan Fitzgerald halfheartedly listened to what a preacher was saying. On the ground before him was a coffin draped in an American flag that would soon be folded up and presented to the family. It was a military funeral and he stood there in his dress uniform with half a dozen medals draped on his chest. In perfect order were many medals including two purple hearts but the one that stood out was his Navy Cross. He looked over noticing that the man's widow was crying and her young son was quietly standing next to her.
'And so another brave man is placed to rest after valiantly serving his country and what can I tell his family. Your husband, your father, he died in a routine training mission what a load of bull. That's the official line, what I would like to say little guy your father's a hero, he died fighting for his nation so that his son could grow up with a future. So his son could live in peace with mutants, so there would be a future.' Alan thought disgusted with the way some things had to be done but he knew deep down it couldn't be helped.
"Rain suits this day, we lost a good man." Alan whispered while Leah held an umbrella over him so he would not get wet.
"Yes sir, it looks like the funeral is almost over." Leah softly replied knowing that the man was rather unique when it came to his subordinates.
As the funeral came to a close Alan watched as the widow's young son tugged on his mother's sleeve asking, "Mommie when is daddy going to get here?"
"I'm sorry sweetie but daddy…" she started attempting to find the words to fit the situation when Alan added. "Your father is going to be gone for a very long time but don't you worry now you'll see him again someday. Just make sure you grow up big, strong, smart, and to be just as honorable as your old man now."
"Really you sure?" the boy asked causing Alan to nod his head vigorously.
"Oh yeah believe me besides in the meantime your dad asked me to look after you, so you can call me Uncle Alan or just Alan whatever works for you. Leah, why don't you take him on ahead?" Alan answered letting her know that he wanted some time alone with the widow.
Leah just accepted the orders offering her hand to the young child which he gratefully accepted. The two walked away slowly as the rain seemed to actually come down harder now that the services had finally ended. Reaching into his pocket Alan pulled out a small card and handed it to the widow slowly.
"I apologize if I stepped out of line, I'm Major Alan Fitzgerald. I was your husband's commanding officer and believe me when I say losing Mark was a huge loss for us all. I want you to know that I'm really sorry about your loss he was a good man. That card has my phone number on it and if you need anything, anything at all, you can call me at any time. I might not be able to answer but please leave me a message." Alan spoke wondering how the woman would react; it was different at each and every funeral.
"I appreciate that very much Major, Mark never spoke about his work or his coworkers much but he always spoke very highly of those around him. I'm really worried about the future though what will I do? There is just so much…" the woman explained breaking out into tears while Alan just watched.
Alan sighed pulling her close so she could cry on his shoulders before whispering, "I don't know what the future holds but your husband was a great man. If you ever want to know what to do just ask what he would do or if you need help call me. I wish I could do more but all I can do is listen and offer any aid that you need along the way."
'I can't bring your husband back; I can't bring any one back. Every day I give out orders that could possibly result with people dying and there is no choice but to accept it. It comes with the territory…being an officer really sucks ass at times like this.' Alan thought knowing that it was his job to lead those under him.
While she cried Alan just let her continue until a cough disturbed the two. Glancing to his left he noticed that Leah was standing there waiting to speak. It wasn't a surprise really that she interrupted but at the same time he had to wonder if she had any sense of timing whatsoever.
"Major I apologize for disturbing you but you have been summoned back to headquarters. There is a situation that requires your attention and unfortunately it cannot wait." Leah commented rather unhappy that she had to interrupt him at such a moment.
Alan sighed as she let him go before saying, "I'm sorry, I meant what I said though if you need anything at all you call me any time. Okay let's go, again I'm sorry for your lost."
The woman just nodded her head watching as the two started to walk away. Her son was waiting for her as she started to walk away as well and back to her waiting family. Alan however sighed just listening to the rain as it tapped on the umbrella that Leah was holding. A black car was waiting for him and Leah quickly opened the door for him before she rushed to the driver's seat. His red hair was damp from the weather but it wasn't as bad if he did not cover himself with an umbrella.
"There are days that I really hate this job and this well this is definitely one of those days. Being a leader really isn't all it's cracked up to be but at the same time I know that his death will help make this world a safer place." Alan lamented knowing that he really and truly did hate situations like this kind of thing.
Leah started the car before responding, "That is what keeps most of us doing this job sir, we know in the end that even if we have to make the ultimate sacrifice that it is for the future and making it a safe place for everyone. Whether they be human or mutant, we all want a safe place for everyone to live and grow."
"Some people just don't get it, human, mutant, it doesn't really matter in the end we are all the same. I told Xavier that I didn't really care one way or the other but if I had a preference I would prefer his dream world." Alan retorted honestly just watching the scenery pass by as if it was nothing more than a fading dream.
It didn't take Leah long to understand that he wasn't exactly in the best of moods, normally in this case he would go off on some half baked mission. He would blow off some steam blowing something up or just generally being a nuisance and come back a few days later as if nothing had ever happened. As she drove he took to tapping on his door rhythmically tapping every few seconds as if it was entertaining to him until his cell phone rang.
"Fitzgerald here…" Alan began listening carefully before he replied. "I see and you're absolutely certain of this if we are wrong then there is no second chance. You keep asking for more time to consider things but were out of time. Time's up its time to act, it's time to fight."
'Who is he talking too; I can't hear the other person that he is talking too. Whatever it is it has his complete attention and that means it involves something that is important either to him or his missions. We might be making our move a lot sooner than I thought.' Leah thought trying to listen in on the conversation only to realize that it was very cryptic.
"I understand that it is a risk and that we are devoting a lot of our resources to him but we have other objectives and priorities besides him as well. I've been getting disturbing reports that artifacts relating to Apocalypse are disappearing and I think it is possible that they are involved. It is in our best interest to investigate and get what information we can from this woman." Alan replied the voice on the other end still too soft for Leah to hear at the moment.
'I'm 600 miles from them and they choose now of all times to host a meeting of the division leaders. I have to wonder about Haley and her timing because this sucks. If we were going to meet about this stuff I would have wanted to be there in person and not talking to them over a cell phone. Guess it can't be helped now though…' Alan thought waiting for someone to respond to his last words.
Alan listened carefully to the person on the other end of the line and while Leah was definitely precluded from the conversation he wasn't. The person on the other end was actually more than one person it was four people and this wasn't the normal conference call. It was a meeting of the higher ups in Centra Spike with Haley in the lead. Setting his cell phone down he pressed the speaker phone button knowing the suspense was killing Leah.
"Alan, you know as well as I that the Hellfire Club has a witch of some sort as a member. Fighting them with normal methods just won't work here and even the methods we have to fight the Master are insufficient in my opinion. Magic has to defeat magic that's the golden rule here. We are not even certain how well mutant abilities would work on her, she could very well be immune to all attacks but magical ones." a new voice spoke this one belonging to someone that Alan knew very well it was Rin.
Rin was a samurai girl from Japan who was very young but also extremely gifted in the arts of magic and magical energy. How she came to join Centra Spike was overly top secret so secret that even Alan wasn't privy to the details but she was also renowned as the purple haired beauty that lead the 5th division. In fact she had a nickname the Goddess of Battle since rumor had it she had never lost a battle. She tended to wear traditional Japanese kimonos with a short katana blade tied to them but what overly stood out was the fact she was barely 5 feet tall.
"It's been a long time Rin; I see you haven't changed at all. If you're that worried about this mission then why don't you tag along with me? Or maybe the so called Goddess of Battle is afraid that she might lose this one?" Alan teasingly spoke he had met Rin on many different occasions and he always ended up teasing her because of her height and at time childish behavior.
"You can be so frustrating, why do you always insist on teasing me like I am a child." Rin stated irritated that once more he had teased her about things that were really beyond her control.
"Enough don't be baited by him and his words. We are all aware of that sorceress; she is the reason until now we never went on the offensive against that group. True the others worried us but that woman has proven to be extremely powerful." A new voice spoke joining the conversation with his rather dull voice. "We know this from experience; she killed four teams from the 1st Division rather ruthlessly. What we found made us realize that magic truly existed in this world."
Haley sighed before she added, "That is true Colonel Ellis and I admit since that day we have been content to let them act unopposed. Now that we have the 5th division and Rin perhaps it is time for us to let them know that we no longer will allow them to act with such freedom. We already decided earlier that this is more than worth the risk."
"I knew this day would come, I am prepared to fight but I want to know why now? I want to know why Xavier wants to save her now of all times. What is responsible for this attitude?" Rin questioned deep down she was asking what a lot of people wanted to know.
'I wish I knew the answer to that question, of course I have theories but that's about it. The true reason and what he is up to is only known to one person and that is Charles Xavier.' Alan thought he had his suspicions but he didn't voice everything he thought to his colleagues.
"Do you have any theories about his reasoning or what brought about this sudden change in his attitude? You would be the only person capable of knowing such a question after all Alan." Haley asked while everyone else waited for an answer.
"Hmm sorry you're breaking up…" Alan began faking that he couldn't hear the words that they were saying. "We must be losing signal, have Rin meet me at the Xavier Institute in two days. Operation will commence within the following time parameters 4-7 days."
Alan hit the end button his cell phone rather judiciously and Leah could swear he took some sick pleasure in terminating the call the way that he did. By the time he had ended the call she had already driven half way to the airport which had a helicopter fueled up and ready to transport them back to the base.
"That was rather abrupt was it not sir, Haley is your boss after all. You could have at least have been more diplomatic about the situation. If you keep acting like this it could put you at odds with the other division leaders." Leah commented knowing full well that he had let her listen in on the conversation on purpose.
'I wonder sometimes if he even thinks about what would happen to us if he was fired or replaced. It just seems that most of the time he doesn't think of anyone except his mission or what he thinks needs to be done.' Leah thought regarding a 2nd division without Alan being a place that she definitely did not want to experience.
"Maybe, maybe not, but let me worry about that kind of stuff. I may not be the most diplomatic person but I have enough allies in high places to take care of stuff like this. Besides I don't know Xavier's reason myself and I don't care to speculate in rumors with the division leaders. It would take forever to get off this call then they would demand to go over every single detail." Alan sharply retorted letting Leah know that he had things well in hand.
"So you don't know the reason why?" Leah asked her voice full of sarcasm and causing Alan to chuckle in response.
Alan took a deep breath before he answered, "Maybe, but I guess letting you in on my theory wouldn't hurt matters. I think Xavier got spooked with what happened to the Brotherhood especially with the drugging and mind control. If you had a spy in place and reports were sporadic and something like that had just happened you would freak some too. Hell even I fully considered recalling every team for a full evaluation."
Leah took a sharp right as the two arrived at the local airport; a black Huey helicopter was starting to come to life as its blades began to spin. The two were quickly out of the car as two men stepped out of the helicopter and saluted Alan. A quick salute later and some small talk Leah and Alan were in the helicopter eagerly awaiting take off. The loud roar of the engine forced the two to put on helmets with microphones and headphones so the two could communicate.
"Sir Xavier does not strike me as someone that spooks easily, your reasoning I admit is sound for most analysis but this seems farfetched to me. Would it not be more probable that Xavier is using this as some way to test the capabilities of the Hellfire Club and ours as well?" Leah explained giving solid reasons why she though his reasoning was flawed.
"I never said that wasn't a possibility, but like I said the only person that knows the truth is Xavier in the end. I actually intend to ask him why when we finish this little retrieval, I'm curious as to his reasoning. I don't think it will be a simplistic thing though, it also seems that despite the fact I wanted to avoid using Centra Spike resources that we're getting involved any way." Alan explained calmly through the headset and giving her a reassuring smile.
'If it was just me then I could make it appear as though it was just a solo act or a small time mercenary. That all changes if Rin gets involved, they will definitely know we are a big time group if we have a powerful magician dueling it out with that woman. War is just as much about misinformation and controlling the truth as it is about combat.' Alan though knowing that his original plan was now being heavily modified.
"I've been planning long enough and I delayed this thing five times because I needed more time to prepare. Once we arrive at the main base have the chopper refueled and then we're heading to the Xavier Institute. I'm going to go over the plan with them and once Rin arrives we'll be ready to go." Alan commented finally making a decision regarding the operation that had been delayed one too many times as it stood.
The helicopter turned to the north with its passengers in tow. It wouldn't be much longer until it would land at another base and then it would move on to the Xavier Institute but that too was just a pit stop. Closing his eyes Alan fell into a nice sleep with the chopper doors closed, he needed his rest especially if he was going to fight and he fully intended to very soon.