Part 4: Aftermath
When everything had gone dark, thanks to the explosion knocking out the power, Sage was glad that she knew the exit route well enough to not need the lights. Murmuring a few comforting words to her daughter she led them both out to the main yard of the compound, neutralising any guards that could have been a problem and avoiding the main auction hall, where gun fire and growls could still be heard.
Now, as she reached the jeep, Sage took a moment to observe her daughter. The girl was clearly terrified, breath hitching and eyes wide, but she was handling it remarkably well, not making a fuss. That could all be down to the shock, Sage thought to herself, but the girls coping and willingness to trust her made Sage feel proud.
"Get in." She said, opening the back door of the jeep and hoping that it wouldn't be just her and Amniat using it to get back to the townhouse. She found herself worrying about Laura's status, and the apparent lack of movement from the compound building, and then ruthlessly squashed it. Laura was perfectly able to take care of herself, all the evidence pointed towards that, and if she couldn't then Logan could.
Sage helped Amniat into the jeep and started to turn towards the drivers door, but a noise from the compound building drew her attention back to it. Coming through the smoke that was now starting to billow across the area was Laura, supporting an almost unconscious Logan. Motioning for Amniat to stay still, Sage moved to help Laura with her burden.
As she did so she mentally examined the pair of them. Logan had obviously taken the brunt of the damage, his clothes shredded by bullets and Creed's claws, his flesh fairing better only because of his healing factor. He still hadn't faired well however, and Sage could tell that his body was being pushed to its limits; half healed slashes and pock-marked bullet holes evidence of this.
Laura seemed to have avoided Creed almost completely, and Sage was thankful for this, especially considering the amount of damage he'd done Logan. The most obvious damage to Laura was the dozens of bullet holes that littered her suit, and the blood that soaked it, even if the flesh below was clear of any wounds. The only other noteworthy thing that Sage saw was that Laura's long skirt had been torn up one side, right to the hip, revealing a pale leg. Better mobility, Sage realised.
Both of them still had their claws out, and she was careful of them as she shouldered half of Logan's weight reducing the strain on Laura, noting the fact that it didn't stop the woman from staggering and realising that by now it was probably exhaustion causing it. "Are you alright Laura?" Sage asked.
The look the young feral gave her would have been comical if it hadn't shown just how rarely people asked that question of her. The look was full of confusion and a hint of something else that Sage couldn't quite put her finger on. "I heal." Laura said, as if reminding her. "The list you gave me was too risky." She added, "so I killed everyone still standing." Laura's voice was emotionless as she gave this information, and all Sage to do was comfort the girl, but they had to get to safety first.
"She helped me take Creed down." Logan mumbled, so quietly that Sage had to strain to hear it over the alarms in the compound. "He ain't dead, but he's out cold." Sage nodded wordlessly as she loaded him into the back of the jeep, ignoring Amniat's shriek of horror at Logan's blood-drenched form and glinting claws. Sage had been aware of a flinch and a gasp when Laura mentioned killing, and it made her almost happy to know that her daughter had retained some of her innocence.
She knew that everything the girl had seen and been exposed to tonight would probably traumatise her, but there was no time to coddle her daughter now. She would deal with the consequences of her actions later when they were all safe, and risk Amniat thinking that she was a cold, unfeeling monster for now. At the moment, their safety came before everything else.
Climbing into the driver's seat, Sage nodded to Laura as she took the other front seat, her claws finally sheathing themselves with an audible 'snakt'. Sage started the engine and got them away from the compound with a minimal amount of fuss, sparing a thought for their missing team member and knowing that they would have to trust Remy to make his own way back. Looking in the rear-view mirror it was clear that she wasn't the only one thinking of the Cajun thief, and her heart went out to Logan as he stared despairingly at the rapidly vanishing compound. She knew what she would feel like if it had been Laura they were leaving behind and she did not envy him the heartache. All she could do was cling to the hope that they would see him again, no matter how small it was. It would be a poor omen to loose a team member on their first mission.
It didn't take them long to get back to the townhouse, but it was enough time that Logan's healing factor had taken care of the worst of his injuries, his claws finally retracting just before they reached the city limits. Neither he not Laura had said anything about Amniat's presence in the jeep, and Sage was glad. It had been impulsive of her to get the girl, but she was increasingly feeling that it had been the right thing to do, and she would defend her choice if she had to.
Nobody spoke as they got out of the jeep and moved towards the building; Logan, Laura and herself were all on alert, knowing that there were probably half a dozen elements in the city now out for their blood, and Amniat was just being swept along in their wake. Nobody mentioned that Remy had been left behind, or the fact that they could only continue to stay in the country for a very limited time. Nobody needed to say any of it, it was on all their minds.
"We need to get everything packed." Sage said as they entered the townhouse, accepting Laura's confirmation nod and waiting for Logan's. "Logan?" She queried after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, "did you hear me?" She watched as his shoulders slumped, and knew that he had been hoping that she would order a rescue, or at least not give him any clear orders. Now she had, however, he would follow them. He had agreed to as much only yesterday. Finally, he nodded too.
"Good. You start packing." Sage turned to her daughter, noting the lost look the girl was wearing. "I'm sorry about all of this Amniat." She spoke in Pashto, knowing it would be easier for the girl to understand. "We are not safe at the moment. Once we are out of the country there will be time for us to talk. Until then," She pointed at the sofa, "can you sit there and try not to get in the way?" Sage knew it was a little cold, but they needed to pack down quickly and Amniat would get in their way, and with tempers bound to fray she would probably get hurt as well.
Her daughter nodded mutely and sat, holding herself in close, and Sage felt proud again, because despite the adverse circumstances her daughter was holding up and not panicking. She breathed a sigh of relief, which quickly became a sigh of exasperation as she watched Logan digging around in a doorframe with a claw. The object of his search became apparent as he ripped the bug out of the wood, growled into it, tossed it into his mouth and then bit down on it very deliberately, a satisfied smirk on his face. Sage could only imagine the feedback that would cause the listener.
Sage would have found both that and the look on Amniat's face as she watched it highly amusing, except for the fact that they were running out of time. Instead she snapped, "if you are that hungry Logan, go and get something to eat," and then looked at the way both he and Laura were shaking. "In fact, both of you, go and get something to eat. I'll continue packing down." As she headed for the stairs it occurred to her that she didn't actually hear Logan spit out the bug he'd bitten.
Logan and Laura had just finished their hurried meal and were beginning to stack the kit that Sage had already packed by the door when it opened. Before Sage or Laura had a chance to react, Logan had grabbed the intruder, pulled him in through the door and pinned him to the wall, claws ready to gut him.
It took them a few seconds to realise that it was Remy, still hooded and in full 'blacks', and she watched as Logan pulled him into a bear hug, grumbling "I thought you weren't coming back," under his breath. She felt her heart lift slightly as the missing member of their team was reunited with them, until she started to notice the discrepancies. Laura tensed beside her, obviously having noticed them too, and she was just about to say something when there was a polite 'get a room' cough from the doorway.
There, leaning against the doorframe, blood dripping from the gloved finger of an obviously lame arm, was Remy, unhooded and sweaty, his skin pale against his 'blacks'. "Sorry it took us so long t' get back. Had to let papa drive." He said, slowly slipping down his leaning post. Logan put Jean-Luc down, shoving away from him quickly, and caught Remy before he fell completely, half carrying him over to the armchair.
Sage took the first-aid kit that Laura had brought through without needing any prompting, and got to work on his arm, removing the makeshift bandage and dressing the wound properly, if quickly. Remy would have to strip out of his blacks later, they had no time for niceties now. "Glad you could make it back Remy." She said quietly, genuinely glad.
"Me too chere," he said, then looked over at the frightened girl on the sofa and smiled. "Glad I t'ain't de only one t' defy expectations," he finished, obviously happy that she had rescued Amniat despite having said she wasn't going to.
"Hate t' interrupt," Jean-Luc said, drawing attention back to where he was standing, now unhooded, "but what are the plans now?" She noted that his accent was a lot softer than Remy's and part of her wondered why that was, however she pushed her inquisitive nature down for now.
Calculating quickly she planned their escape, factoring in all of the new variables. "I can get us out of here in twelve hours," she stated, glad that Logan and Laura had gone back to packing, although it had been grudging on Logan's part when he realised that it would take him away from Remy's side. "Hopefully that will be soon enough and they won't martial themselves quickly enough to launch a retaliation attack." She knew that she was more than likely hoping in vain, since there was a 72 chance that they would be that quick, but she didn't dare say so with Amniat in the room. She wasn't going to distress her daughter any more than she had to.
"Can do better that dat," Jean-Luc said, smiling charmingly despite the obvious blood stains on his skin and 'blacks', mostly from Remy, but not entirely, she was sure. "If y' give me a phone I can call in my ride. 'm sure they won't mind a few extra passengers, and they can get here in two hours," he stated, sounding very pleased with himself, and confident that his 'ride', and she was incredibly curious as to who that was, and why they wouldn't have a problem with them.
"Alright," she replied, handing him the small communicator that she always carried on her person for emergencies, and then turning back to where Amniat was sat. It was clear that the girl wanted to speak to her, and she regretted not having the time to do so properly.
"I'm sorry mother, but what is happening, and where are we going?" Amniat spoke very formally to her, tone level, but Sage could detect the fear behind the words. She wasn't surprised, after all the girl had been taken away from the only life that she had ever known and thrown into the chaos that was hers without a chance for adjustment, but she knew that with the reduced time scale she really didn't have time to be answering the girl's questions.
Luckily Remy beat her to it, drawing Amniat's attention to himself, and answering the question. "It's ok chere, don' y' worry yourself 'bout a t'ing now. It'll all become clear, promise y' dat." He caught her eyes with his and continued, "Now why don' y' get some sleep chere, an' y' can talk t' Sage when were on de plane. Get some sleep." She didn't know if it was because of the fact the girl was exhausted, the tone of Remy's voice or the 'charm' he was supposed to possess, but she watched as her daughter succumbed to sleep almost immediately.
"Thank you," she said simply, glad to have one less thing to worry about now that her daughter was asleep. Remy just nodded in wordless understanding, looking like he was desperate to go to sleep himself which, considering his wounded state, probably wasn't too far off the mark. Immediate concerns taken care of she turned to where Jean-Luc was still using her communicator.
As Logan walked back into the room, arms full of bag, she watched his face crinkle and an odd kind of smile cross it. Motioning him over once he had deposited his load she asked him what was so funny. "Nothin' much darlin', I'm just thinkin' how happy ol' Fury's gonna be with terrorists on one of his transports." Sage looked at him surprised. "What?" he grinned, "I could hear his voice a mile away, an' technically we are terrorists."
She nodded, not having thought about it that way before, and contemplated the fact that Jean-Luc was working for Nick Fury, although whether S.H.I.E.L.D was also involved was still an unknown. Hearing Jean-Luc finish she turned and was confronted by his once again smiling face. "We're good t' go in just under two hours," he said.
Fury's Plane………
She was amazed at how efficient Fury's people were, as within ten minutes of them arriving at the plane's landing zone they were airborne again. The other occupants of the plane didn't flinch at the two bloody thieves, the two bloodier ferals and the young girl asleep in her arms, and she was glad for their professionalism as well. She didn't think she could handle anything less without turning into as big a bitch as Frost at the moment, since the events of the past twelve hours had sorely tried her patience.
She had Amniat in the seat next to her, and as the girl began to wake up she turned her attention from the seats across from them where Laura was once again resting on Logan's shoulder to Amniat, although this time she was aware of the young feral's eyes on her. "How do you feel," she asked, again speaking in Pashto for her daughter's sake.
"I was asleep?" she questioned, clearly confused. "Where are we now?"
"We're on a plane, travelling to America. I'm sorry about last night, I had to get you and my team safe before I could relax," as she said it Sage realised it was true. Now that they were all safe she was starting to relax slightly. "I'm sure you have many questions for me?"
The girl nodded, fighting back obvious tears, "you are my mother, and yet I have not seen you for the whole of my life. Why did you leave me, why did you come back?"
Sage had seen this coming and answered as clearly as she could, explaining in much the same way as she had told Laura, glad that she had had that chance to prepare her answer. She then explained about the drug, and the fact that the team had been sent in to deal with it, glossing over many of the details.
Amniat nodded again, "I know about the drug. My father had me working on it for Mr Abrahms. I saw some terrible things," she began to cry properly then, and Sage gathered her up into a hug, glad to finally be there for her daughter after all this time. She stroked the girl's hair, soothing her with touches and murmured words. Eventually the sobs quietened, and Amniat pulled back slightly. "What will happen to me now?"
"I would keep you with me if I could," she responded immediately, knowing it was the truth of her heart. Her mind however knew differently, "However my work is not safe. I know a safe place for you, a school where you will fit in and can adjust to this new life." Sage knew that it was a risk sending the girl to Xavier's, but Emma Frost owed her a life, and this was one debt that she was determined to collect, not for herself but for her daughter. It also helped that there was another student from Afghanistan currently at the school, and she was sure that Sooroya would help Amniat adjust.
"Thank you mother," Amniat whispered, this time in her hesitant English, and settled in to the hug deeper, clearly getting comfortable with Sage. She made up her mind that when the mission allowed she would spend all of her possible time getting to know this girl who was her daughter, and began planning their headquarters accordingly. She was sure that her old Hellfire apartment was still registered in her name.
She sat back in her seat, her daughter in her arms, and smiled at Laura, promising the young woman with her eyes that they would have their talk as soon as possible. Laura grinned back, and promised in that grin was more than just talking, something that Sage was surprised to see. Surprised and intrigued, and the anticipation would make anything that happened between them all that much sweeter. Hearing quiet conversation from the seats behind her Sage listened in, not caring at all that it was a private conversation between Remy and his father.
"The sample, Papa," Remy asked, glad that their unnamed ride had come with a field medic who had seen to his arm with a lot more skill than Sage had and that he could now concentrate without the pain distracting him. He had been genuinely surprised to see his father again, especially on a pinch in the same place as he had been, and had known the minute the sample was missing who had taken it. He held his hand out, forgetting that he didn't have his gloves on, since they had been ruined by the blood.
His father took his hand, rubbing a thumb over the blackened skin. "Was going to make some joke about y' looking older than me Remy, what with de hair and all, but 'm thinking that there is a lot more to it den I know, non?" Jean-Luc asked looking older than Remy had seen him ever look. Wherever his father had been it had aged him, and Remy knew that his 'condition' wasn't helping with that.
"Oui Papa, lots more an' I don' particularly want t' talk 'bout it at de moment. Perhaps when we've finished wit' business, den we can catch up. The sample Papa, please, y' don' really want Fury t' have it do y'?"
Jean-Luc sighed, and pulled a small vial out of one of his pockets, shaking his head as he handed it over to Remy. "Ok mon fils, you can have dis. Was only doing it so Fury owed me a favour, an' you're more important than him." His father moved in for a hug, and Remy pulled back.
"Where've y' been Papa, where've y' been for de past two years. T'ought y' were dead, f' all dis time." His heart was in his mouth as he asked, not entirely sure that he wanted to know the answer but knowing that he needed to ask the question.
"Been workin' on some Guild business," Jean-Luc's hand went unconsciously to the insignia on his 'blacks' and by proxy his heart, and Remy knew that it was serious. Jean-Luc's accent thickened as he continued, a sure sign he was scared, "Don' wan' t' ask dis of y' mon fils, but I need y' help, de Guild needs y' help, because y' de only one who can stop de Antiquary. An' 'm t'inkin' it's gonna need de help of y' team as well."
PREQUEL – LAURA
She knew form the moment she answered his call that it was a mistake to believe that there was a place for her in his world. She'd known that, but she had still lived up to her promise and gone back to the Xavier institute. She would never let it be said that she didn't have honour, and the truth of it was that she had nowhere else to turn.
When M-day had struck she had lost the only friends she'd ever had, and no matter how much she despised Logan for saying it, no amount of mourning was going to bring them back. She had to move on, she knew it, he knew it, and the phone call gave her that option.
She'd known from the minute she'd listened to Logan introduce her and watched the faces of the children fall that coming here was a mistake, but there was no way she could tell him that. Logan wouldn't listen to her. He believed this place held some magic that would allow her to fit in as she was.
She knew exactly how they would look at her, how they would treat her, and it would be no different than before. She was a clone. A created monster who had no right to be regarded as human, and she knew that they could see it on her. It made her miss her friends even more, and the relationship she'd had with them.
She'd known from the second she'd allowed that mind-witch that was the headmistress to scan her that it was a mistake, and once again, she hadn't been wrong. All Frost was interested in was her past as a killer, as a puppet, and the bitch hadn't even bothered to see what lay beneath the surface.
Killing wasn't all she knew, despite what some people, both staff and student thought of her. Why couldn't they accept that she had as much depth as they did? That she'd done terrible things, but not of her own choice? She wished bitterly that she hadn't come here, but it was too late. She was stuck here now, bound by a promise and the sentinels outside.
So, she withdrew into herself again, and lost the more open exterior that she had fought to build for her friends. It was all too easy to do, made easier by the fact that nobody expected her to be anything but a silent, feral killer. She almost welcomed not having to try so hard to be anything else.
She knew that she should try harder, but there was nobody that made her want to, something else that made her very sad. Logan was away doing something else and she didn't trust any of the other adults here. She hadn't bonded with any of the students either, although she would have liked to get to know Sooroya better. The Sunni girl wasn't interested in becoming friends though, in fact, she could tell that she intimidated her.
Now, as she lies in bed and listens to Sooroya sleep, the soft chiming of the clock in the hall telling her that its midnight, she wishes that she had somebody to talk to, wishes that Logan was back from wherever he has disappeared to this time, wishes that she wasn't so lonely. She knew that there would be a price to pay for accepting people, but she wishes it wasn't so painful.
She can still hear the echo of her mother's voice asking "why?", can still see the image of her mothers decaying corpse that the frost bitch projected for her to torture her, and she asks herself that same question. Why? Why doesn't she deserve to have friends? To have people who can see her for who she is, not who she was? The thought keeps her awake for hours before she falls into a restless sleep.
