Wings of an Angel

Chapter 7; Taking Sides

Bennett Mansion

Harry and Warren spent the next morning lazing about talking about everything in general. Harry had called in that morning to the office to tell them that he wouldn't be in and had been given several reports about the riots around the building and around over companies belonging to them.

It wasn't until lunch time that they made their way to the kitchen to grab something to eat but they'd only been there ten minutes when Michelle walked in urgently and switched the television on with a pale look. "Sirs." She said with a rush of breath. "I think you should be watching this."

The screen resolved itself into the image of an anchorman behind a desk. Harry groaned, he'd never liked the media or newspapers but he dreaded to think what CNN had that would warrant Michelle's reaction.

"The exact numbers of deaths are unknown to us as of yet but initial reports state that the fireball destroyed everything within the complex." Behind the man the picture changed to that of a smoking building. Emergency crews were working in the foreground even thought he image was a still. "For those just joining us; A terrorist attack has killed at least ten people in San Francisco just half an hour ago. Preliminary reports state that this was the action of a young male mutant with the ability to control fire.

"Anti-mutant protesters are appealing to the government that the Cure should be made into a weapon and administered to all mutants as a sure-fire way to control them. 'Only when they are human again should we treat them as human beings.' One spokesman said.

"Worthington labs has yet to comment on the attack, nor their future plans but Government officials have stated that they will support any action that leads to the continued safety of the American people."

The phone ran and Michelle answered it as the reporter went on to describe the outcome of the attack. She handed Harry the phone with a whispered 'Directors.'

"Are you watching the news?" Rudolph's voice came across the receiver. It was clear, meaning that he was on his own.

"Yeah," Harry muttered, confused that he was getting a call about it.

"We have reporters knocking on our doors wanting us to take a stand point on this and although we would normally sit on the side lines I don't know if we can on this one."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a frown.

"We were just tipped off from within CNN, they have pictures of you and Warren flying yesterday from when he broke that window. Our contact managed to keep it from going live so far but it is only a matter of time." Rudolph pointed out.

"Damn!" Warren looked at him sharply so he explained. "A photographer caught us yesterday." Warren looked torn for a second before he landed his head heavily on the table. Harry swapped the phone into his other hand and rest his hand on the back of Warren's neck to show that he didn't blame him.

"We've got a choice." Rudolph continued. "We hold enough power at CNN to shut the report down but there is always a chance that someone will sell the story to another channel, one that we don't control and then we will be in more trouble."

"You think we should back up the report don't you." Harry stated. "Give it official backing so that we come out the good guys." Harry knew it was what the directors wanted since it was the best in the long run but he knew that such a move would only get the attention of people he'd rather not know about him.

"We can use this attack to counter the idea of the cure as weapons, bring you into the open and side the company with the mutant welfare activists."

"And the board is agreed that taking sides is a good plan?" Harry asked sceptically.

"If we don't then it could get much worse. There are just as many people out there that side with the mutants than those that don't."

Harry paused to think for a moment before he sighed. "Do everything you think is necessary."

"Might I suggest you lay low for the time being?" Rudolph suggested though it was obvious he already had something in mind.

"What did you have in mind?" Harry asked.

"A partner in a private school in the North died yesterday. We don't own much of the school, only gave part of the funding to start it. We feel that your travelling there and pledging our further support might prevent it from closing."

"You sound like this school is more important than most." Harry pointed out. It wasn't often that Bennett Inc. gave money towards a project and didn't have an active role.

"This was a project of you grandmothers." Rudolph told him. "She saw the need for a school such as this one in the future and she was right. The school only excepts powerful mutants, most above level 2 but with the odd exception depending on the child's situation. It would be an ideal place for you to lay low."

Harry thought for a second before agreeing. If there was any chance that the school would close he would put his foot in the proverbial door and force it open again regardless of the cost. "Can you send me everything you have on the school so that I can sort things out on the journey?"

"I'll make sure it's on the plane ready for you at the test range." Rudolph told him with a chuckle before hanging up, probably to write a speech. Harry just hoped he was gone by the time it hit the fan.

XOXOXOXOX

Bennett corporate jet

Harry and Warren were half way to the school named 'Xavier's School for Gifted Children, ' a rather ironic name if you asked Harry, when the hostess switched on the TV for Harry when they got a warning call.

CNN were about to release the pictures of Harry and Warren flying over San Francisco. And Rudolph was about to admit it to be true and they would finally take their side in this war. Shifting their rather large corporate weight enough so that the governments of England and America could no longer ignore mutant rights.

The anchorman from the report that morning appeared on the screen as a rolling headline across the bottom announced the news as 'Just In' and 'Important.' 'Good Afternoon, this is Nigel Bateman of CNN news. Information has just come to light that could dramatically change the way we view mutants within our society.'

Warren reached over to grasp Harry's hand tightly in his own, not for Warren's sake but for Harry's. Harry turned to look at him with a smile. "It cant be worse then before." Harry's smile dropped quickly as he was reminded of Ron and Hermione.

Warren was prevented from speaking when Harry waved back to the screen, only a few seconds had passed and all the man had done was repeat the message. "Bennett Inc. arguably the largest Corporation in the world has sat on the sidelines of the last decades troubles between mutants and humans. They have offered assistance where necessary and acted in a way that has won over many of our hearts. They're example has led many issues around the world to be resolved. Our question today is whether they can do this again.'

"Yesterday, at the public opening of what has been dubbed the 'Cure,' although Bennett Inc. has refused to condone such a term, a mutant escaped from the head offices of Worthington Corporation. This mutant, a winged human called an angel by many, was easily recognised by onlookers as Warren Worthington the third, son of the current director of Worthington Inc."

An school photo of Warren appeared in the corner of the screen and Harry squeezed his boyfriends hand tightly. The man continued, "Whilst Worthington Senior refuses to comment on the matter the 'Angel' has been positively identified by no less than ten people. What has caused much consternation is that only seconds after his escape from a twentieth floor window he was joined in the air by a second mutant with almost identical wings."

The photo of the two of them flying appeared in the corner of the screen. It was a bit hazy but their forms and more importantly their wings were easily recognisable against the clear sky. Harry groaned slightly but knew that it would have eventually gotten out.

"Eye-witness accounts recognised the second man as being that of the newly returned sole owner of Bennett Incorporated." The picture changed to that of Harry behind a podium at one of his more recent press-conferences. 'When asked, Bennett Inc. freely admitted that their owner was a mutant. However that was not all that Bennett Inc. told us. This is a recording sent to us by the Bennett Board of Directors."

The screen changed to that of Rudolph. His name was placed at the bottom and slowly slide off the screen as it was followed by the other names of the Directors. "We admit that Harry Bennett is a mutant with the same amount of pride that we released the knowledge of his return less than two weeks before. He had no intention of hiding his true nature from the world and has been moving the company into a more direct position with relation to the mutant-human position since before he publicly returned.

"As most already know we already employ almost ten thousand mutants across the globe and that number has risen by almost a thousand for each of the last four years. Our mutant employees can all testify that they are treated with far more respect by this company than in any other place around the world.

"That said, Bennett Inc. has decided that a more active political position is required due to current circumstance across America and in other parts of the world. Bennett Inc. will, from this point onward, fully support any action that leads to a fully equal society between mutants and humans. As such we have already terminated six contracts between ourselves and various parts of the United States Government as their objectives threaten this goal."

Harry had to grin, there would be some rather annoyed people at the Pentagon soon. "Also any mutant or human under threat due to this situation is welcome within any of five hundred refugee centres being set up around Northern America where food and shelter is available."

The image of Rudolph disappeared to be replaced by the anchorman again. "We are receiving information regarding the centres right now. And you can contact the number at the bottom of your screen for information regarding the location or rules of these centres."

He paused briefly to listen to something in his earpiece before a small grin appeared on his face. "Report are now beginning to come to our attention. Several military facilities have gone into lockdown due to the sudden withdrawal of Bennett Inc. financial and logistical support. Confusion seems to have rippled through the Pentagon and the President has been called back from a family dinner. It seems that Bennett Inc.'s words have had more of an effect on this country then we could have imagined."

Harry turned down the volume but left it high enough so that they could still hear the reports as they came in so that he and Warren, who had been trained in business by his father, went through the file they had on the school on Harry laptop which he took everywhere with him. Among the most important things reported on the TV were his cargo ships, contracted to ship Military supplies around the world, returning to home ports. The same was happening across the country, always things that tied with the mutant acts though never in a way that would jeopardise the safety of the population. Flight companies that Bennett Inc. had rights over came to an almost halt as they refused anybody suspected of acts against mutant rights. And the effect that Harry really looked forward to was revealed an hour after the first announcement. Several Senators within congress were firmly entrenched within Bennett Inc. and were speaking up against certain actions by the government.

Harry was also glad that not only was CNN worried about offending him but the anchorman seemed to personally agree with Bennett Inc.'s move since he was constantly putting across the effects in the best light possible. Harry made a note to do something nice for the man.

They came down for a smooth landing an hour and a half after the announcement and Harry was happy to stretch out on the runway of the privatised airstrip before being rather quickly shoved into the backseat of a black BMW along with his boyfriend.

The trip from the airfield to the school was a short one and soon Harry was stepping out of the BMW with Warren behind him. They had changed out of their black leather, magical, jackets on the plane and into more casual gear since hiding their wings was no longer necessary unless they wanted to remain low-key. Harry, however, still wore his leather gloves so that he could shake peoples hands without having an effect.

The school had an unnatural hush to it as they walked through the unlocked front doors. There wasn't a child in sight and Harry had to remind himself that not only was this school small in the way of students but also that Professor Xavier had just died and that the school would still be in mourning. There wasn't anybody about to ask for direction so Harry just slipped through corridors with Warren at his heals looking for signs of life. The had just entered what looked like a corridor with classrooms when a flicker of movement in a room at the end of the hall caught their attention.

They closed on the room and heard voices within though they were too muffled by the wooden walls to be made sense of. Harry knocked even as he stepped through the open door.

"Come in." A woman called out as Harry walked around the door and into the room. Three people were in the room. Harry recognised one instantly as Doctor Henry McCoy who had visited his house only a few days before. Another woman stood in front of the fireplace, she looked at them confused as to who they were. She had white and black hair and had been the one to call out to them. Another man stood at the back of the room with messy hair and a rather feral look. Two boys and a girl also sat on a sofa against the wall, obviously old enough to join the topic that was being discussed. By the looks on their faces it was what Harry was here to discuss, keeping the school open.

"Doctor McCoy." Harry greeted pleasantly as the blue furry mutant stood from his seat. "I admit that I didn't expect to see you here though it does figure."

"Mr. Bennett!" Dr. McCoy smiled and stepped forwards quickly to shake Harry's gloved hand. "Mr. Worthington? I gather that the reports on the TV are true then?"

"Indeed. Are you willing to introduce us to everyone else or shall I attempt it myself?" Harry asked with a small quirk of his lips to lighten the mood.

"Oh! Sorry!" The large man smiled back before turning slightly to face the two adults. "This is Ororo Monroe who teaches Languages and Sciences here and this is Logan." He turned the other way to the two boys and the girl who were all around Harry and Warren's age. "These are three of our students, Bobby, Kitty and Piotr."

"I'm Harry and this is Warren." Harry told them before feeling out around him. Each person in the world gave off a feeling and it was that which his power fed off of. For wizards it was like warmth, like that of holding a hot drink on a cold day. For normal humans it was the opposite, like holding a cooled drink in summer. Lastly, for mutants it was like a static charged that filled the air around them and energised him. Everybody had one or the other and all six of the people in the room, seven if you included Warren, had that static charge around them. "It's nice to be around so many mutants after so long."

"You can sense we're mutants?" Ororo asked him.

"I can, though I cant tell what the abilities are. Some are obvious like myself, Warren and Doctor McCoy, but others are just hints. You seem to bubble with energy that reminds me of a storm." He received a sharp grin in return and he knew he'd hit on the mark. He turned to the other man in the room. "I cant tell yours, its either very subtle or wouldn't give itself away." Finally he looked to the three his age who were looking at him as if he were a fortune teller. He looked firstly at the larger boy, then the shorter one before ending with the girl. "You feel like something immutable though I cant put my finger on what. You feel cold and you feel like the exact opposite of him." He said gesturing at the first boy."

They nodded to show that he was along the right tract and Ororo seemed to offer to explain. "My ability is controlling the weather but my penchant is with storms. Logan's is the ability to cure any injury to himself. Piotr's is an impenetrable shield around him and immense strength whilst, as you said, Kitty's is the ability to pass through any solid matter. Bobby can control ice."

"Interesting." Harry nodded.

"You're like Rogue aren't you?" The one called Bobby suddenly asked. Harry looked at him blankly making him go red before explaining. "She could drain others powers or energy. She always wore gloves to stop her touching others by accident."

Harry tugged on his gloves lightly as if reassuring himself that they were still there. Warren placed his hand on Harry upper arm to remind him that no matter what they would always be together. "I can absorb and control the abilities of anyone I touch. Warren is the only exception that I have ever met."

"That's odd." Ororo muttered more to herself than anyone else.

"Whereas I drain energy from humans, I only drain the abilities of mutants. Since I already have the wings then my ability recognising the pointlessness of draining Warren's." Harry lectured before picking up on something said beforehand by Bobby. "You said she wore gloves. Why not now?"

"She left yesterday morning." Bobby seemed unhappy about that. "We think she went to get that cure."

"You shouldn't blame her. I can imagine how she must feel. I at least have Warren whom I can touch. Does she?"

Bobby shook his head. "I just wish she would give us a chance to come up with something."

"Perhaps she will realise when she sees the state of the cities at the moment." Harry muttered. "I believe my actions have thrown most the of the countries infrastructure into complete chaos."

"Professor Xavier would be please to know that someone with as much power as you is on our side." Ororo told him. "But if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"For starters, we were hoping to be able to hide out here for the time being. There are quite a few anti-mutant activists out there that would like to see me harmed. Not to mention the Brotherhood who wont like my helping the humans as well." Harry muttered.

"Ah…well you see." Ororo muttered sadly. "We were just discussing the school. We would like nothing more than to keep the school open and we could for the time being but we just don't have the funds without Professor Xavier's contributions to keep the school open indefinitely."

"That was the other reason why I am here." Harry told them with a smile. "He might not have mentioned it to anyone but when Professor Xavier started this school he needed extra funding and came to my Grandmother with the proposal, she helped to see it set up with our own funds. Even though Professor Xavier maintained full ownership of the school it was under the legal protection of Bennett Inc." Harry let that sink in. "That protection now comes into play. In times like these we cannot allow this school to shut. If anything it must be expanded."

"What are you saying?" Dr. McCoy asked and Ororo just got a hopeful look.

Harry smiled at the three on the sofa as they tensed up. "As long as this school caters for mutants in need then Bennett Inc. will ensure it has the funds needed to remain open."

XOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter