OOC: Comments are always welcome.
"Move them to DC." Came Nick Fury's terse response over the phone. It had taken exactly five minutes for Nick to phone back after David had placed the initial call. "If you don't know of a good place, put them in the barracks at the SHIELD headquarters."
"They can stay at my house. I had bullet resistant windows put in. They'll be safe enough, though I'll have to ask Rogue if she even wants to." David said. He had three bedrooms. Sarah could have Trent's room—his belongings had been put into storage. Rogue and Michael could share the other one. David found it too painful to step into his son's room and be so acutely aware of Trent's absence.
Fury grunted. "Tried to get more information on your son, but no dice. Trent's been moved again. No intel on his current location. He's alive, that much I know. Listen, we'll do a debriefing when I get to DC. At your house. There's things I want you and Mrs. Sassy Pants to get caught up on before I go before the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I might need your assistance on convincing them to …well, you'll find out when I get there." Nick hung up.
David turned off his phone and went downstairs to find Rogue feeding her son. "Nick contacted me. He said I should move you and the kids. You can either go to the barracks at SHIELD HQ, or you can stay at my house until we set you up."
Rogue thought it about a moment. "Your house. But Ah insist that we take our gun safe. Ah don't want to leave that behind. Ah'll also need a few bags of necessities for the children and one for myself." There was a 'bug-out' bag that Frank packed for them. Rogue did not know what was in it; Sarah and Michael kept her too busy to peek inside. But she knew she better take that, too.
"I'll order a small moving van. I'll take all of you in my rental car to the airport." He made a few more calls as Rogue finished feeding Michael, put him in the bassinet for David and went about packing bags.
They arrived at David's house five hours later; the van was about three hours behind. David helped Rogue with bags while she wrangled exhausted children. Michael fussed and Sarah pouted, clutching her ponies to her chest. The hour was late, and Rogue wanted to put them down for the night.
Rogue's focus was completely on Sarah and Michael, so much she did not notice Karen open the door.
"Karen, this is Rogue. Rogue, meet my girlfriend Karen." David said, an attempt to gently direct Rogue.
"It's nice to meet ya, Karen." Rogue smiled, wanly. She had a lot to think about. Her main thought was Nick's offer—to potentially become strong and bullet resistant would be a boon. She was extremely tempted now, her drive to protect her children was the primary motivation. The one thing holding her back was Frank's advice; There is always a cost to Nick's gifts. Frank was paying for Nick's gift—a gift he had taken only so that she would not find him dead of a heart attack. Rogue knew that if it hadn't been for her, Frank would have just let himself die. She wondered to herself, "What more could Nick ask of me? What does he truly want?
"Come inside, I stopped by the store and picked up a new bassinet and formula." Karen watched as they all stumbled inside. All of them seemed drained and the girl was afraid. Sarah pushed herself against Rogue's leg, a childish search for reassurance. Rogue spared an arm to drape it around Sarah and playfully ruffled that shock of red hair. Karen smiled at the gesture of motherly love. Rogue kept looking at Karen and started to size her up. Her first impression was that Karen was kind and nice, but only time would truly tell.
"Hope ya picked up diapers too. Ah'm runnin' low and Ah think Mikey here needs a diaper change." Rogue wrinkled up her nose as a distinctive odor wafted up. She needed to put them both to bed. It was late, past ten, and Sarah was going to be an interesting study in parenting when the morning came around.
"I did. It's all set up in the third bedroom." Karen said, aware of Rogue's intense gaze. She did not back down and said to herself that Rogue was just being protective of David and the children.
"Ah'll be back when the kids are asleep. Thank you, David, for opening up your house to us. Ah promise we won't be here too long." Rogue and Sarah began shuffling down the hall until they found the bedrooms and disappeared into the third one.
"She stared a hole right through me." Karen said, a bit nervous. Karen held up under the appraisal, but Rogue had a fierceness to her like a caged tiger.
"Dad's worse. Possibly because he's roughly the size of the Empire State Building. But Rogue's a softy underneath that stern exterior. She's been trusted with what Frank considers to be valuable, Karen, and that's his children. She guards his only weakness. That's a big responsibility in and of itself. Not to mention her government job. So, it's understandable she's wary of who is around them." David piled up the three bags by the couch in the living room and gracefully sank down into comfort. He was still cramped up from the flight; those seats were not made for tall people. His legs and lower back ached and he allowed himself to spread out.
Karen rummaged in the kitchen for a moment and came to sit beside him with a glass of water and two ibuprofen pills.
"Thanks. I hate flying on a commercial plane. I always have to sit with my knees to my chest." He joked and accepted the gifts. He popped the pills in his mouth and gulped down the cool water. The ring box pressed against his thigh and he thought about proposing then and there but pulled back. He wanted the moment to be romantic and this was not the appropriate time.
After a few long moments of comfortable silence, Rogue ambled into the living room. "Sarah and Michael are asleep. We really need to find a permanent home of our own. Ah hate disruptin' their lives and it ain't good for them." Rogue thought she could delve into Frank's treasure trove of money and buy a house. "Maybe buy a small home. Maybe." She envisioned building a cabin on Frank's property in the Poconos and all that peace appealed to her.
"Good luck. Real estate is expensive in DC. My advice? Better to try outside of DC." David offered as the aches in his body gradually went away.
A firm knock on the door startled all of them from drowsiness. David went to look through the peephole and admitted Nick Fury.
Nick Fury wasted no time in crooking a finger at Karen. "You need to make yourself scarce, Miss Page. Word to the wise: I better not read in the newspaper that I was ever here."
Karen twisted her hands awkwardly and asked Rogue if she could tend to Michael. Two of these people were clearly dangerous and were not afraid of violence. David, she knew, was gentle and sweet. He regretted having to use violence to get out of precarious situations. Rogue and Nick Fury? Fighting was their trade.
"Sure. But if you wake him up, you'll have to help him go back to sleep." Rogue drawled. Karen had baby fever, Rogue coolly observed; she had seen it when Karen looked at the children. Poor David. He'll end up being a dad again in a year or so.
Karen smiled and quickly disappeared into Michael and Rogue's bedroom.
Nick spoke up, but with a hushed tone. "I was overseas doing what I'll call reconnaissance. The Russian and Chinese 'Presidents' are HYDRA agents. That was confirmed by my most loyal spy and I believe her."
"That ain't good. Gonna send in an assassin and whack 'em?" Rogue asked, as she smoothed down her t-shirt.
Nick snorted but the idea had merit; It'd certainly create a shitstorm in their perspective countries. The scrambling for political power would buy America and its allies some time to bolster defenses. "I'll have to speak with the Chiefs about that. Are you volunteering?"
"If Ah didn't have two kids and a husband dependin' on me, maybe." Rogue replied and she seemed quite serious. Before Nick could respond, she added, "Due to circumstances that have happened recently, Ah do think Ah'll take you up on that offer." She remembered his proposal to enter the new Super Soldier program, which, on paper, would grant her a high level of invulnerability and help to control her leeching ability. It WOULD keep Sarah and Michael safe.
"You talk to Frank about this?" Nick asked and pulled out a cigar, lit it, and began to smoke. He ignored the dark expression David gave to him. Nick smoked where he pleased.
Rogue nodded. "He warned me to be cautious but said that it was my decision to make."
"I'll help watch my brother and sister while you're away, Rogue. I think Karen will too." Maybe, David considered, this will help Karen determine if she even wants one of her own. If she continued in wanting her own child, then he'd think harder about the matter. To have another child, he thought, would be a blessing but a terrifying one. David wanted Karen to be happy.
"Thanks, David." Rogue said and desired nothing more at this moment than to drift away into a dreamless repose.
Nick turned to David. "Nice interview you gave to your lady friend. Probably not the wisest decision. There's a reward for Rogue and the rug rats, now Von Strucker's put you on his hit list. Twenty million, I think. Good going, Dave."
"The name's David. Believe me, I had my reasons—the current Director of the CIA being number one. I did the interview to control the story and prevent him from blackmailing me. I will not be commanded or controlled by the likes of him." David regarded Nick with a stern countenance. "I will not be commanded by you, either."
Nick laughed. "You're just like your old man. Frank told me the same damn thing once. Now look at where he is. Fighting for the good guys." Nick knew the best way to 'command' people was to make it appear as if the decision was theirs. Especially with strong-willed individuals such as Frank Castle.
"Manipulation is not the same thing as commanding someone." David said, every word carefully controlled.
Nick snorted with amusement; David was too pure for this world. Manipulation was a subtle form of command. "Oh, Mystique sent you a letter. I thought about tossing it in the trash, but maybe you'd like to read it." He leaned over and handed her a fat stack of paper.
"Ah'll read it when Ah feel the need to throw up." Rogue retorted. She accepted the papers but opted for a private reading.
"Alright. Now I've been recruiting help while in Eastern Europe. To be exact, Spetsnaz. They don't like HYDRA. They don't like that HYDRA has infiltrated their government. Plans are being put into place to cause dissent, a distraction." Nick left the couch and took care of his cigar. He tossed the extinguished butt in the trash. "Got more to talk with you about, Rogue, but that will wait until tomorrow. Call the HQ number for a ride. Be there about ten." Then, like the spook he was, left the house.
# # #
Mystique refused her food for the third day. She smeared the gloppy substance on the clear door of her enclosure and the guards came in. They hosed her down with freezing cold water that left her shivering and her thin jail uniform plastered to her body. They tasered her into submission and laughed while she foamed at the mouth. They beat her with their service batons. They threw her across the cell.
But she did not scream or plead for mercy. That was not her nature. She glared at them with fierce eyes and spat at them. Her restraints, kept on even as she was imprisoned in her cell, made it difficult to move. Otherwise, she would have strangled all of them. She knew her fighting skills were better than theirs.
"Be grateful you're in here instead of the morgue where you should be." The guard spat back at her, the glob rolled down her cheek. "You're a disgrace, using your pregnancy to keep yourself alive. Let's get out of here and leave this thing alone."
Mystique curled up into a fetal position and ignored the guard's parting words. She hoped her body heat would kick in. Soreness reigned supreme through her slight frame and blood trickled from her nose and mouth. She wiped the blood away with the sleeve of her outfit and just tried to relax while she began to fantasize what mayhem she'd bring once she was loose.
She saved Rogue and Frank for last. Oh, I'll let them raise my spawn. I'll let them be happy. Then, when they least expect it, I'll make my move. Give them a few years, let him become complacent. Let him be happy. Let Rogue worry and marinate in it. Hell, I'll even protect them, so I can exact my revenge at the right time. I want to kill them. They are to blame for where I am. I just need to get out of here. I would sell my soul to the Devil for a chance to escape.
The thoughts kept her glacial heart warm.
Mystique, wrapped up in her dreams of vengeance, did not hear the door to her prison squeak open. It wasn't until she heard that sinister and familiar voice call to her that she jerked up and scooted as far as possible from that man.
"What do you want?" She hissed. She'd take the chance and fight if she had to.
"Simply to care for your injuries. I am a doctor after all. It's in my Hippocratic oath." Doctor Essex smiled. Clean clothes, towels and a medical bag were in his arms.
She continued her death glare and did her best to shift into a fighting stance. "And I should let you care for me after you took those samples? Against my will? Fuck you and whatever horse you rode in on." Her black hair dripped water and bruises were beginning to pop up in colorful blooms on her white skin.
He came over and opened his medical kit. He brought out all the necessities: cleaning solution, band aids, needle and sterile thread. He laid them out with a chilling calmness that disturbed Mystique far more than the guards' brutality. She understood violence but not this preternatural quiet of character.
"Didn't you hear me? I don't NEED the type of 'care' you provide." Mystique lashed out at him and he neatly pinned her against the wall.
He laughed in her face, his aquiline features distorted in grotesque amusement. "I'm at least as old as you are, Raven. I've been following your exploits for a hundred years. You do need my help if you want to get out of this hellhole. I admire your talents and spirit, as well as your sociopathy. You are a beautiful and lethal weapon that is going to waste. What I did to you was on orders from my Director. It wasn't personal only business. The government is very interested in your shapeshifting ability and in applying that to future military armor."
Mystique calmed down at the words: Get out of this hellhole. "Why should I believe you? You are obviously willing to double-cross your employer."
"You've also been known to double-cross, my dear." He said, sweetly. "It just so happens, I need an assistant with a flair for the violent. You fit the bill quite nicely. Of course, protocols will be put in place to make sure you don't betray me."
She brooded for a moment. Make a deal with the devil indeed, she thought. And one that has my antics down pat. But what other choice do I have? Stay here? "I'll…I'll do it as long as I have time to myself to pursue my own ends."
Doctor Essex grinned. "If those ends don't involve me finding myself in an accident, sure." Little did she know that he possessed a high degree of invulnerability. "Naturally, I will be keeping track of you. You'll understand, I'm sure. You're reasonably bright." He tended to her injuries with an impersonal touch, efficient and capable, but with no emotion.
Mystique squashed the growing sense of unease in her gut. She had always walked the thin line of disaster and triumph, always being able to worm her way out of trouble. Am I getting in over my head with this man? Her instincts told her yes, but she had enough confidence to think that she could eventually wrangle her complete freedom. All I got to do is buy myself some time. Everyone has a weakness. Even him.
Essex went on with his speech. "I can't set you free right away. I'm, to use a quaint idiom, spinning other plates that need tending to. It'll be too obvious if you were to disappear, so anticipate a short wait."
"That makes sense to me." Mystique watched as he finished up and tidied up. Essex was nothing if not meticulous both in his methods and manner. For the first time in her adult life, fear rose up like tentacles to claw at her. "I'll be acting my normal self, I don't want to make people suspicious. Maybe act a little cowed."
"Don't forget to eat, you'll need your strength. And if the guards beat you again, I'll see to it they are adequately rewarded." Essex prepared to leave. Now that he was done attending to her medical needs, there was no purpose for him to be with her.
"How will I know when I'm about to be sprung?" Mystique inquired.
Nathaniel Essex said before he made his exit, "You won't. It'll be a surprise."
