A Difficult Decision
Author's Note: Ugh – should'a just started with the Brotherhood already knowing where Jamie was like I originally planned… I'm not one for writing "action" scenes – I'm all about the character interaction. Anyway – we're going back to the good old days of Mama Mystique and crazy Jamie (I have missed both of them so!). A short chapter but it's been a while since I've posted so I wanted to get something up. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Three: Not Trusted
Bobby arched an eyebrow as he followed John down the corridor towards the Professor's office, the fire mutant not quite running but despite his shorter legs he was proving hard to keep up with.
"Well?" John looked expectantly between Ororo and Xavier as he entered the Professor's office. Ororo gestured to the empty seat next to Mystique.
"We're just waiting for everyone else…" she said softly. The fire mutant curled his lip up and rolled his eyes but took the seat next to Mystique without further comment. Bobby silently took his place standing in the corner of the room, offering Piotr and Warren a meek smile as the two other mutants joined him. Finally Logan sauntered into the room, crossing his arms leisurely as he leant against the wall next to Bobby, earning a blazing glare from the agitated fire mutant in the room…
"So…" Logan gestured to Ororo for the other mutant to get on with it. Ororo rolled her eyes slightly but spoke in a calm voice.
"We have located James," she confirmed. "He is enrolled in a medical research programme at a base in the Nevada desert, looking into the effects of mutation on physical and mental health."
Logan scoffed.
"See? Got fed up of you guys," he muttered, turning towards the door.
"He wouldn't volunteer for something like that!" John insisted. Ororo held up a hand to silence the fire mutant and stop Logan leaving.
"James Madrox has a history of mental illness does he not? Surely this programme is perfect for him."
John curled his lip up.
"He was misdiagnosed with multiple personalities when he was a kid," the fire mutant scowled. "He's not mentally ill."
Ororo bowed her head slightly in conceit but quickly raised it again confidently.
"Hank actually visited this facility a couple of months ago. He can assure you there is nothing untoward going on."
"But…" John started to object but Mystique held up a hand to silence him.
"May I enquire as to where this facility is exactly?" she enquired. Ororo arched an eyebrow.
"Hank did not give me that information."
Mystique bristled slightly but kept a calm composure – unlike the younger mutant sitting next to her.
"What? Why the f…"
"Pyro…" Mystique silenced the fire mutant with an ease Ororo found surprising. "Clearly we are not trusted in these parts," she stood gracefully, pulling Pyro to his feet as she did so. "At least we know which state Jamie is in," the shapeshifter gave Ororo a quick nod. "Thank you for your time."
"Mystique," Ororo quickly rose from her seat. "You can believe Hank when he says there is nothing to be concerned about."
"And you can believe us when we say Multiple Man would not sign up for such a programme," Mystique replied pointedly. "Come Pyro."
"We don't want any trouble," Ororo looked Mystique firmly in the eye. The shapeshifter arched an eyebrow.
"Why Miss Munro, neither do we. And if this facility really is above board then there won't be any – will there?" she smiled sweetly and lightly pushed her pyrokinetic companion towards the door. Ororo pursed her lips but let the two go without further argument. Logan watched dubiously as the two Brotherhood mutants left the room.
"We're just going to let them go?"
Ororo sighed quietly.
"They haven't done anything wrong Logan."
"Not yet."
"I have no doubts that Hank will warn anyone who needs warned," Ororo reasoned. Logan rolled his eyes.
"Well that was a great use of our time," he grumbled, pushing himself away from the wall. Bobby frowned slightly.
"What if they're right though? I mean about this guy not being the sort to sign up for something like this?"
"Oh come on!" Logan shook his head. "They were just pissed cause they've misplaced a body."
"But why would they be so desperate to track him down?" Bobby pressed. Logan shrugged.
"Maybe he double crossed them or something," the male opened the door to exit the room. "Not our problem."
Bobby opened his mouth to object further but instead just sighed quietly as Logan left. Ororo offered the mutants left in the room a meek smile.
"You should all get yourselves to bed – it's getting late."
The remaining mutants nodded and silently filtered from the room. Ororo sighed quietly and turned to the professor.
"Do we need to be worried?" she asked pensively. Xavier arched an eyebrow thoughtfully.
"I truly have no idea…"
x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x
"Ignorant motherfuckers," Pyro grumbled as he clambered into the helicopter, crossing his arms moodily. Mystique arched an eyebrow, gracefully climbing into the pilot seat next to him.
"At least we have a good idea where he is now," she pointed out, starting up the helicopter.
"Yeah – cause it'll be so easy to find a base in the fucking Nevada desert," Pyro scowled. Mystique laughed quietly.
"It will be when we look back at Ambassador McCoy's recent itinerary," she pointed out. The fire mutant next to her pursed his lips slightly.
"I guess…" he conceded. Mystique allowed herself a slight smirk as the helicopter lifted from the ground but it quickly faded again.
"Have you been smoking?"
Pyro flinched slightly, bowing his head away fro Mystique's piercing golden eyes.
"I had one or two…" he mumbled, daring to cast a sideways glance at his companion. "…or six.. or seven…"
Mystique sighed and shook her head.
"Six or seven too many," she chastised. The fire mutant screwed up his nose but did not argue, turning instead to look out the helicopter window, frowning thoughtfully as the Xavier mansion faded into the darkness below them…
x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x
A quiet groan escaped Jamie's lips as slowly he became aware of a slow pounding in his head, a dull ache drifting through his entire body. Grudgingly he tried to raise his arms but found he couldn't. Blearily the multiplying mutant opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to try and clear his blurry vision but all he found was near darkness, no distinguishable landmarks visible. Jamie tried to take a deep breath but just flinched violently as a sharp pain clamped around his chest. The multiplying mutant closed his eyes tiredly, rolling his head to the side, the pain slowly fading away into a highly unsettled slumber…
x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x
Mystique cast a quick sideways glance at the pyrokinetic sitting in the chair next to her, the younger mutant's eyes drifting steadily shut as he sat and waited for her to work her magic on the base computer. The faintest of smiles pulled on her lips as she watched the gentle rise and fall of Pyro's chest grow steady, the fire mutant slowly falling asleep. He hadn't slept properly for days…
The shapeshifter curled her lip up disdainfully as she turned her attention back to the computer screen, frowning heavily as she raked though the files she had uncovered regarding the Nevada research base recently visited by Ambassador McCoy – none of them being terribly useful. She cursed under her breath as she scrawled through file after file, blueprints and plans, nothing giving her any further useful information to what Hank had already told them. The base was military, making her particularly keen find out everything she could before going anywhere near the place…
"You've found him?" Pyro suddenly leant over her shoulder. Mystique arched an eyebrow.
"Not exactly…" she replied tightly. "He's listed on a programme with three other mutants but I can't actually find them in the building. I have a list of all the patient rooms and they're not in any of them."
"So… what? They're being held somewhere else?" John frowned. Mystique sighed quietly and leant back in her seat.
"I don't know," she admitted. "We need a closer look at that facility."
"Well come on then," John stood but was quickly seated again as an elegant blue hand grabbed his wrist.
"Not so fast," she said firmly, holding up her free hand against the objections she knew were about to come. "We can't just go marching into a military base that we believe to be hostile."
The fire mutant screwed his face up.
"You could," he mumbled. Mystique arched an eyebrow, tapping her fingers thoughtfully on the desk.
"It's risky," she pointed out. "If they catch on that I'm trying to get in then… we could be putting Jamie at further risk."
John frowned reluctantly, settling back down properly in his seat.
"So what do we do?"
Mystique bowed her head slightly.
"We're still gonna need help," she admitted. "And we aren't going to get any from the mansion unless we can prove foul play," the shapeshifter pursed her lips. "Perhaps… Pietro?"
John scoffed.
"He'll never help us after the way Magneto treated him last time he gave us a hand," the fire mutant shook his head. Mystique scowled slightly but gave a relenting nod.
"Still…" she allowed herself a slight smirk. "He does have a soft spot for you."
"Ha…" John laughed dryly. "He propositioned me once and Jamie knocked him out. Another reason he probably wouldn't be in a rush to help."
Mystique rolled her eyes.
"You kids…" she smiled ever-so-briefly before her serious expression returned. "I'm going to have to take the helicopter and run some scans," the shapeshifter cast a dubious look over the blueprints on her screen. "See what the real situation is."
John nodded in agreement.
"So let's get going then," he insisted. Mystique shook her head.
"You aren't going anywhere near that place yet."
"But…"
"If he is there and if I do find him, it will take more than the two of us to get him out of there," Mystique arched an eyebrow pointedly, returning her attention briefly to the computer to print off a document, handing the papers to the fire mutant. "You go and check out the other volunteers."
John opened his mouth to argue further but instead gave a conceding sigh. He reluctantly nodded, knowing deep down that the shapeshifter was right. It wouldn't do Jamie any good to go charging in all guns – or wrist lighters – blazing. But even knowing they were doing the right thing didn't make him feel any better about leaving Jamie for longer…
x-x-x x-x-x x-x-x
… …
… …
…ow…
… …
… …
Holy crap, what have you been doing to us?
… …
… …
I feel like we've been hit by a train…
Shut up!
Excuse me?
I think someone's not very happy we're back…
Shut. Up.