Chapter 2: A War Begins
Scott's Point of View
I wait on the rooftops for a MRD truck to drive by with Hank by my side. To get into the MRD facility, we need a MRD holding truck, one that is designed to hold Mutants. With a MRD truck, we can get Hank in quietly while I'm disguised as a MRD agent. Before leaving, Hank used the remaining computers that still worked at the Institute to pull up the schematics of the facility, making us more prepared for the breakout.
"Look," Hank says, spotting a MRD truck about to drive by us. It's exactly what we're looking for, so we go on the offensive. In order to avoid alerting any other MRD agents, we need a speedy take down, so Hank volunteers to get the job done. His strength and acrobatics make it challenging to hear Hank, and fairly easy for him to take down two agents before they know what happened.
"You know the plan," I state, signaling Hank to execute the plan. He moves with great agility, going for rooftop to rooftop as he works his way closer to the truck. Before I know it, he has landed on the truck, making the truck rush to an immediate halt. Hank instantly makes his way inside, taking out the two agents before they can even reach for a weapon.
"They're down," Hank relays over our secure radio channel. I rendezvous at his position after he relays the all clear, and we set our plan into motion. While Hank is getting the shackles on to give the impression he is a captured prisoner, I'm taking a MRD uniform from one of the agents to put on.
This uniform smells like crap. The man obviously hasn't showered in at least a day, but his partner smells even worse. I have to put on my shades under the MRD helmet, and I'm hoping that it isn't too noticeable. Hank hops into the back while I prepare to get going. Before we leave, I throw the two agents in the back with Hank, forcing him to endure that horrible odor.
Now it is just a matter of being seen like an agent taking Hank in as a prisoner. To keep the agents from checking the back at the checkpoint, Hank is going to make a large commotion to scare the MRD enough to not check back there. After that, the plan depends on how the wind blows.
I drive up to the MRD prison facility, and I pull up to the checkpoint. A little before I pull up, I tap the panel connecting to the holding cell, signaling Hank to start the show. Before I know it, there's a banging, wave of snarls and growls, and all sorts of weird noises erupting from the back that one would expect to come from a crazed caged animal. Just as I pull up, I catch sight of one of the MRD agents, specifically the one at the checkpoint, beginning to show some fear.
He must be new. I roll down the window as the agent comes down to clear me.
"What do you have back there?"
"One big ugly beast," I say signaling to the back. "I should get him in a containment cell before he breaks out of there, and eats us for dinner."
"O-okay," the agent stutters, showing no effort in hiding the fear in his voice, "get going." I roll up the window, and get going. Step one is done, now to get to the security room. We plan to not only break the family out, but also all the others Mutants that have been trapped in this hellhole.
As I park the truck, I see two agents approach the back, and I know that our cover might be blown soon. I get out to see what's happening back there only to see two agents pointing their rifles at Hank.
Damn it, Hank, what did you do?
"Get on the ground, now!" one of them yells at Hank. My guess is that he didn't have the shackles on.
"Now look, I'm a pacifist by nature," Hank begins as I rip off my helmet, and take my glasses off, sending out an optic blast that knocks the two agents out. I look to Hank to see he doesn't have the shackles on.
"What, were the shackles chafing your fur?" I ask as I switch out my glasses with my visor. I rip off the uniform to show my X-Men uniform underneath, minus the trench coat.
"Only during my performance. I was going to put them back on, but then the two of them opened the back."
"Well, you've got to quit the pacifist stuff. I know you're not a big fan of violence, but these guys won't hesitate with sending a bullet into your head."
"I understand, Scott. I'll try my best. Now, what's the plan?" It takes me a second to come up with a plan, but I remember it's the same as any other mission. I have to just modify the plan so that it gets accustomed to the new variables.
"You'll go find the security office, and disable the defenses as well as the locks on the holding cells. I'm going to find the family and other prisoners."
"I don't find it best that we split up. These men are trained to fight Mutants. We should probably both head to the security office if we want to ensure our chances of survival." Hank makes sense, which he usually does, and I realize I'm used to having a team to work with instead of just a partner. When the team started, Hank was always the one who made constructive critiques to my plans. On some occasions it helped us complete the objective, so I make sure to never dismiss him.
"Okay, let's head to the security office." We leave instantly, not wasting a moment. As we go around each corner. I take point to shoot down anyone who might be on patrol. The hall surprisingly have very few agents patrolling, and I only have to take down a dozen men at the most, nd half the halls don't have anyone on patrol. Within fifteen minutes, we reach the security office where Hank goes in solo while I stand guard. I can still hear what happens inside, though.
"Hello gentlemen, now we could handle this peacefully or with violence." It doesn't take a genius to know that the next few sounds are the two agents reaching for their weapons. "Oh well, fine, it was your choice." I hear a few punches along with some grunts, and the door opens. Inside, the two agents lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.
Hank just looks at me before saying, "I gave them a choice."
"Let's just get the cells open," I order as I look at one screen to see Randy being tortured by what looks like the warden of this prison. He has three slash marks across his face resembling Logan's claws. "Logan has been here." Hank looks at me before seeing what I'm looking at.
"That's Colonel Moss. He's one of the heads of the MRD. Logan told me he faced off against him a few times."
"Well we definitely know who the winner was. Are the cells open?"
"Yes, and I'll be heading over to them. I'll meet you at the hangar once you've got him," Hank says, pointing to Randy on the screen.
"I thought you didn't want to split up?"
"You already took down the patrols, and cameras show no other patrols."
"Got it," I respond before leaving, running as fast as I can to the interrogation room. Once there, Colonel Moss instantly turns, pointing a pistol right at me.
"Another one of you! Hasn't Wolverine already done enough?"
"I'm not here with him, I came for the family. Now hand them over!"
"I'd rather not, Mutant scum. Someone has to pay for that psycho ripping through here looking for some redhead Mutant." Jean! I sent an optic blast right at him as I duck in case he fires. The blast hits Moss's torso, and he flies back against the wall. I pull Randy out of the machine, but go to interrogate Moss before leaving.
"Where's Jean?" I yell, taking hold of Moss's chest. "Where is she?"
"I don't know who the hell that is," Moss spouts before he spits in my face. I wipe his spit off before I throw him in the interrogation chair, and turn it on. While hearing him wail in pain, I grab Randy, still weak from the torture, and guide him out of the prison. While working my way to the hanger, I hear explosions echo through the halls. The Mutants aren't leaving without a fight, and I'm ready to help. I rush Randy to the hanger where I see the MRD in a shootout with the Mutants. There are MRD agents scattered all over the hanger, some with missing limbs, some scorched beyond recognition. There's a handful of Mutants in a similar condition, but it seems to only fuel the anger of the other Mutants. I crouch down as I crawl over there, which isn't easy with me carrying Randy, and I put him down next to his wife. It only takes me a second to join in the shootout when I notice a certain Mutant who sticks out, the one that helped me before, in my last encounter with the MRD.
I call out, "Wolfsbane!" but I notice an agent about to get the drop on her I blast him away, but then I hear the familiar sound of a helicopter erupt.
Crap, do they have air support? I look over to see Hank flying a helicopter over to us. The Mutants begin to pile on, and I carry Randy on while wife carries Erica on. Right before we take off though, a sniper bullet comes out of nowhere, blowing Randy's head off. All I hear is his wife's screams as we fly away. I look down to see his blood splattered on me, and I can't help but break down. My mind goes straight to misery as I think of how this has ruined the family, all because they helped me.
"Someone, destroy those monsters!" I yell, not allowing for another innocent to die.
"Pyro," one girl calls as she makes three little balls of fire in her hands. As she drops them out of the helicopter, the blonde Mutant she called takes control of the flames. He makes them grow ten times bigger before sending each of them at the hanger, sending it up in flames.
"That settles that," Pyro remarks.
Hank comes in over the radio, "We've got two bogies coming in. Get ready for some action."
"Dust, girl, it's your turn," the girl calls out. It seems the blonde chick knows all of the Mutants, which can be an advantage. A girl in a black burqa that covers everything except her eyes comes up. Just as fast I see her, she's gone. She turns into a cloud of dust, and goes off after the jets pursuing us. One falls out of the sky before ten seconds pass, and the begins to try to fall back. Just like the others, we're not going to just let them go. I see the pilots eject, and order for them to not be killed. I feel like the slaughter should end for today.
It seems like the jets are the MRD's last attempt to stop us since the rest of our flight goes by in peace, other than Erica and her mom mourning Randy.
After Hank lands the helicopter at the Institute, I take the helicopter so I can get Erica and her mom somewhere safe. I feel like it's too dangerous to have them stay at the Institute with us. I fly them over to a forest where I see an abandoned log cabin the X-Men built a while back. The X-Men would sometimes go here on ski trips, but the last couple years with the X-Men were just mission and training to get ready for the MRD and Magneto's inevitable war.
As I land, I look over at Erica closely for the first time since she was taken by the MRD. She looks older, more mature than before. This day has made her older, more mature, and I feel bad for her as her life falls apart. In the back of the helicopter is Randy's body, covered by a tarp.
The first thing I do after I land is bury Randy, giving him a proper funeral. It isn't easy, digging a hole three feet deep before I decide to put his body in. I wish his head was still intact, so I could close his eyes as a sign of peaceful rest. While burying the body, I can sense Erica and her mom watching me. I don't give myself one break until Randy is completely buried though, owing at least that to this family.
Afterwards, I find a large enough rock to be a gravestone, and use my focused optic blast on a low power level to etch in Randy's name along with "beloved husband and father." The gravestone is pushed in deep and firm to make sure it doesn't get blown away or knocked over. With that, Randy is able to rest in peace.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I tell his wife as I come up to the cabin. She sits there in silence, crying over her lost loved one, and I can't help but think about Jean.
"Have you ever lost someone close?"
"I'm an orphan, lost them when I was around her age. Then, a year ago, I lost my wife."
"I'm sorry for your loss," she returns, and I give her a comforting hug.
"When you're ready to come home, just call me with this," I tell her as I hand her a communicator. "It's on a private channel to the Institute. Just turn it on, and I'll know to come get you."
"Thanks, for everything."
"You're welcome," I respond as I go over to the helicopter. Erica must be exhausted, she's fast asleep inside. "Tell Erica I said goodbye."
"I will." With that, I leave, heading back to the Institute.
As I come back to the Institute, I notice it is surprisingly quiet. I expected the Mutants we rescued to be raising hell, but instead all I can hear are the crickets chirping away. When I land, I immediately make my way to Hank's lab to see if he knows where the Mutants are or where they went. Hank is preparing for some experiments as well as starting up whatever computers were left in hibernation after the incident.
"Where did everyone go?" Hank looks up to verify that he indeed heard me. I guess sometimes, when he's in here for a long period, and his mind begins to play tricks on him.
"They all left, gone their separate ways. All but one," and, as if on cue, a Mutant walks in who I instantly recognize as Wolfsbane.
"Wolfsbane, you decided to stay."
"Yeah," she says, shyly, "if it's okay with you?"
"Of course," I gladly answer, "but do you have a name, other than Wolfsbane?"
"My name is Rahne Sinclair."
"Well," Hank begins, "it's nice to meet you Rahne."
"I can turn into a wolf or be like a werewolf. Thought you might want to know."
"Nice," I say, having a joke in mind, "now we have two furballs." Rahne chuckles a little, and Hank glares over at me, expecting that from Logan probably.
"So, who's in charge here?" Rahne asks.
"I am," I say, "and I have an idea of what to do next."
"What exactly would that be, Scott?"
"Hank, there is a war brewing. Mutants and MRD agents have died today, and I won't allow for anymore life to be lost. Some is going to have to bring peace, and I say it's the X-Men that brings that peace."
"I'll start tracking down the others, anyone in particular you're looking for?" Hank happily responds as he walks over to the computers.
"Anyone from the old team: Bobby, Kitty, Rogue, Warren, Kurt, Piotr, Ororo, and any of the others." I look over at Rahne, and realize she's still in her rags from the prison. "Rahne, let's go see if we have any clothes that fit you." Rahne and I leave for the armory, and I smile as some good finally begins to surface.
There's the first part of Hindsight done. I'd like to know what my readers think of this story, especially the changes I'm making.
