Disclaimer: X-Men and all characters within are property of Marvel, with the exception of Cat who is my own creation and Harry Flashman, who is based on the character created by George Macdonald Fraser. This story is only made for entertainment value. (The percentage of rapes reported to the police is curtsey of Wikipedia. And the quote comes from Aftermath by Siegfried Sassoon (March 1919). This takes place after Secret Invasion, when Marvel will (hopefully) have restored the world to rights.
The Doctor's trial.
"You're kidding!" Nick Fury still found it amazing that despite nearly sixty years in America and Canada, when she was excited, Cat's British accent returned with vengeance. "You've caught them?"
The lawyer nodded.
"A routine raid on a clinic turned up mutant experimentation. We ran the names though the system and they turned up on the Weapon X wanted list."
He glanced at Fury.
"After all these years." Harry Flashman seemed almost as shocked as his subordinate. Nick didn't blame him. When he'd first got the message, he had to reread it five or six times to make sure he'd understood it correctly. And even then he'd asked Dum Dum to check that it was genuine before he told Cat.
The shock was wearing off, as was the joy. Nick could see the tension and wariness creeping back into the mutant's face. She wanted to know why he was telling them this.
"What'll happen to them?"
The lawyer tensioned.
"Unfortunately the experiments at the clinic were conducted on willing subjects."
"Mutants seeking a cure." Cat stated the light dying from her eyes. Nick felt sorry for her.
"However," the lawyer's face was now beaming. "Owning to the recent changes in the law, we can now prosecute them for Crimes against Humanity."
There was a silence in the room, as Nick and Flashman both looked at Cat. Her face was becoming darker and darker, as she realised what they were asking her to do.
"If you testify of course."
Nick had to hand it to Flashman. The guy was quick.
"This has been a great shock to all of us. If you could give us some time to-"
"No!" the word burst from Cat's mouth like a bullet.
"To discuss it!" Flashman said with equal focus glaring at Cat.
"Of course." The lawyer got to his feet and left.
"There's nothing to discus Flash!" cat said angrily. "I'm not testifying."
"You had a bad shock; you might want to think about it..."
"There's nothing to think about. I'm not doing it."
"Cat..."
"NO! "Cat screamed, jumping up. "I won't. I can't face them." She turned and fled from the room.
The lawyer, who had evidently been standing just outside the door, stepped back in.
"She said no, didn't she?"
The expression on Fury's and Flashman's faces appeared to answer his question, for he swore.
"None of them will. I've spoken to Wolverine, Maverick, Jon Wraith. They all refuse to testify, and that kid, Bucky, he'll only testify if she," he jerked his head at the door, "gives him permission."
"She will do, if he wants to." Flashman said reassembly. "She's not for them going free; she just doesn't feel she can face them."
"Why?" demanded the lawyer frustrated. "You'd think they'd be relieved."
"What percentage of rape victims are willing to testify against their rapists?" Fury growled.
"Excuse me?"
"What percentages of people who've been raped are willing to stand up in court and face their tormentors?"
"16 percent are reported to the police."
"And what percentage of those goes to court?"
The lawyer fell silent.
"That's what I thought." Nick replied.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It had never ceased to amuse Nick Fury how two mutants with such similar powers could react so different to situations.
While both had the instinctive desire to get away from people, they did it very differently.
While Logan fled to large open spaces, Cat tended to squeeze herself into as smaller space as she could manage.
On the Helicarrier, the usual place for this was the engine room, where an extremely worried, and new, engineer, informed him that Cat had vanished into the room.
Nick nodded and entered. The huge engines roared above his head, and the scent of oil and grease penetrated his nostrils.
"I'm not testifying."
She had followed her usual patterns. The space was hidden behind a set of turning cogs, and was just large enough for her crouched form to fit in.
Fury sunk down as close as he could get.
"Surprised Stark didn't try and change this."
"He's not totally opposed to the smell of oil and grease." Cat replied. The tension was still present in her voice.
"You think I should testify don't you?"
"Ain't my call." Nick replied, chewing on his unlit cigar.
"But you think I should."
Nick shrugged.
"Do you remember, Jacque Christian?"
"The concentration camp survivor who watched his lover torn apart by German shepherds Course I do."
"Do you remember what you said to him, when he said he couldn't testify at Nuremberg?"
"That by refusing to testify, he condemned his lover to a second death. That of forgetting."
Nick nodded. She had come out a little of the hole.
"There ain't all that many of you left." He said softly. "You've gotta protect the next ones."
She had come out of the gap now, but she made no move to come near him. Instead she wandered over to the porthole and stood gazing out of the window.
" "Look down, and swear by the slain of the War that you'll never forget."" She whispered quietly. She nodded softly.
"I'll do it."
"I let them know-"
"NO!" the word was said in the same way as early, but with less force. "I want to talk to the others first."
Nick smiled.
"That's good." He said. "'cos there's an ex-Russian Assassin creating havoc on the command deck."
With what might have been a smile, Cat followed him out.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The forest looked peaceful, as Nightcrawler teleported in. The sun was slipping though the trees, dying the whole ground green. The light also fell on the mutant crouched by the lake, who looked anything but peaceful.
"Get lost Elf! I'm fine."
"That is evidently a lie my friend." Kurt said, slowly making his way over. He paused uncertain of how to brooch the subject.
"Doc Samson called." He said slowly, "and told us what happened?"
He looked at the mutant for a response, but got none.
"It must have been a shock."
"Never thought it'd happen. Never thought I'd need it either."
"You are needed," Nightcrawler agreed, nodding, "but do you want to?"
"No!" the answer was quick and full of the pain and terror that Kurt had only heard in his voice after a nightmare. "But I think I have to. Those people. They shouldn't be free to ..."
His voice trailed off.
Kurt nodded.
"So, I guess I'll do it."
Kurt nodded.
"There was another call after Doc. Samson. Fräulein Cat. She asked you to meet her. Said you'd know where."
TBC