Hey all! Welcome to the revised edition of my story The Problem with Invisible Mutations. If you've been keeping up with the story thus far (and I hate to do this again), I'd suggest you re-read it. Some important changes have been made. These changes affect the development of the story as a whole. I really want to make sure I'm putting my best work out there, so that's why I keep revising. A massive thank you to all those who put in the time and effort to read my story. You all motivate me to keep writing.
Just a note, Angel as in Warren Worthington III is mentioned in this chapter. Angel/Archangel is one of my all time favorite X-men (seriously though, look him up, he's really pretty) and I was sort of disappointed by the way he was represented in the movies. Being one of the original 5 X-men and in the First Class comics, I think he should have been in the prequel. Anyway, I still make an attempt to stay true to the movie-verse in this chapter.
"A chicken playing chess with a beaver."
"Two guys sitting on an elephant."
"A couple making out."
Charles Xavier rolled his eyes in mock disappointment at the strident noises coming from the next room. He, Joanna, and Erik had returned to the recruitment drawing pool, while the "recruits" and Raven were taking a Rorschach test, monitored by Hank.
Their interpretations of the picture in front of them got progressively stranger and even without reading their minds, Charles could tell they weren't taking the psychological test seriously.
"Leave it to teenagers to turn the one of the greatest diagnostic tests ever into a game, huh?"
Joanna laughed.
"They're just bored, Charles. We've been keeping them here and nothing's happened. They have no source of entertainment. What else are they supposed to do? It was probably the only game they could find at the CIA headquarters."
"They could train."
As always, Erik was quick to quash anything he thought to be frivolous.
"You haven't told us much about the enemy, Erik. We're not even sure what we should be training them for."
After Erik had given them a very brief description of the events that happened to him under the care of Dr. Schmidt, everyone was hesitant to mention his name around him. He had also never bothered to mention anything more.
"Why should I tell you? Its obvious that you could just read my mind if you really wanted the information."
"I don't read your mind because I want to show you that I respect your privacy. We've been over this before."
"You don't have to talk about his connection to you. We just need to know more about his abilities. I, for one, didn't get a good chance to observe while on the boat that night."
Erik steeled his glare toward Joanna. Fine. If she really wanted the information, she would get it.
"He can absorb energy and unleash it. Specifically, nuclear energy. It keeps him young-looking."
"What kind of unleashing are we talking about here? A large blast or like quanta at a time?"
"I've seen him do both. He has the ability to launched large focused attacks. Most of the government weapons will be useless against him. He isn't the sort of person who can be killed by a gun or even by a missile. It would only make him stronger. As far as I'm concerned, he can only be ended by hand-to-hand combat."
"So, you're talking about strength training?"
Moira entered the room.
"Yes, I believe that he was. Jo, is there anywhere the six of them can train?"
Moira was the one to answer instead.
"Sorry, Charles. I don't think there's a gym on site. I'll see what I can do though."
"Very well. Thank you, Moira."
Joanna smiled at her and Erik cast her a look that could only be interpreted as Why are you here?
Moira cleared her throat nervously.
"Well, I have orders from upstairs, Joanna. Director McCone wanted to see you an hour ago. He thinks its time for another recruit."
"Oh. We found a possible candidate some time ago. Unfortunately, we all got a little side tracked by the merrymaking next door."
"Right."
The three of them looked to Charles because as always, he was the one to present info on the recruits.
Sean Cassidy, aged 17 years. Currently lives with his mother, father, and siblings in New York. No criminal record and no jail time.
"Sounds wonderful," Moira added.
"He seems like an average kid. Are you sure he'll want to get involved in something like this?"
Joanna felt a mounting suspicion in her gut.
"Well, we won't know until we ask him."
"So then it's settled."
Moira had gotten the final word there.
Joanna stood up.
"We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, if...that works with everyone's schedule."
"Of course, love. Erik and I are all at your disposal. And Moira too, I'm sure."
Moira and Charles stared at each other smiling for what could be perceived as about a millisecond too long. Joanna and Erik stayed silent as the situation grew more uncomfortable.
Erik cleared his throat loudly, successfully breaking up the moment between the two.
Charles, snapping back to reality, resumed his planning.
"I guess we should inform the rest of the tea-Wait! How silly of me, I found another potential candidate, within in the same state Sean! It completely slipped my mind to mention him."
"I wonder why, " Erik muttered with perceptible sarcasm.
"Meet Warren Worthington III, 18 years of age, and living with his mother and father in Centerport. Also no criminal record and no jail time."
"Excellent, we can visit them on the same day."
Joanna frowned.
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Why?
"It takes us two, maybe three hours to explain the objectives of our mission to the recruit and then their family."
"Ah."
The standard-issue jet is only available from 8 to 2 tomorrow."
"That hardly seems like enough time for you…" Moira murmured, looking rather concerned with her thoughts too.
Charles clasped his hands together obviously not pleased with the realization.
"It certainly isn't. The average recruitment and transport here and back for two new recruits should take around 7 hours."
"Would you three mind waiting until a later date?" Joanna asked.
"No let's get it done as soon as possible. We'll just have to split up. Erik, you and Joanna will go visit Sean and Moira and I will see about Warren."
"Charles, she isn't a mutant."
"Just this once, Erik."
The two men stared each other down from opposite ends of the table. The tension was now so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"It would violate our agreement with the CIA."
"Since when do you care about agreements with the CIA?"
"Since we began to recruit mutants. These people, the ones we recruit, the share very personal aspects of their lives with us. How do we know how she'll use the information?"
"She is on our side, Erik."
"She is also standing in the room," Moira interrupted, looking a bit peeved that she was left out of the determination of her own fate. "If you don't want me to come, Erik, we can wait to recruit Warren. But, who knows? He may have made other plans by then...He may have even joined Shaw. If we're recruiting, he -"
"That's enough, Moira."
Joanna felt the need to step in before the argument escalated any further.
"If there are any disagreements on the pairings, we can wait. This doesn't have to be done now."
Erik shot a chilling glare at Moira before walking out of the room.
"He knows I'm right," she stated confidently.
"Yes, but you didn't need to bring up Shaw."
"It's the truth, Joanna!"
"If that's that, I'm going to find Erik before he tries to leave again. As it is, we're only eight. Who knows how many people Shaw has on his side? We don't need to be losing any team members."
Moira looked a bit taken aback as Joanna turned to leave. Charles called after her, stopping her in the hallway, just out of earshot from Moira. As of right now, she felt she would be more comfortable with dark, mysterious Erik than with Charles and Moira. She didn't know why.
"She doesn't know...about Shaw and Erik."
"Neither do I. It's Erik's business not ours."
"I know, but I just think you can be a bit more understanding with Moira."
Joanna suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at Charles. Something about what he said didn't sit right with her.
"Why? Because she feels left out of the freak show?"
"Joanna…This isn't about Shaw is it?"
Joanna glance at him for a moment like she wanted to say something, but then continued on her search for Erik.
Charles stood in the hallway, shaking his head. They had come so far, too far, for everything to start falling apart now.
Moira poked her head out of the doorway.
"Is something wrong?" She called.
Charles sighed.
"I honestly have no idea."
Erik sat with his back on the same wall, as the night he had first spoken with Joanna. Moira was...a human. She was insignificant, yet she kept interfering with his plans to defeat Schmidt. His instinct told her she'd screw this entire thing up for them. He wasn't sure when or how exactly, he just knew that she would. Charles was wrong to trust her.
"Erik?"
"Joanna?"
She provided him with a small smile.
"I'm sorry...about Charles finding a new recruiting partner. You two were a good match."
He looked at her for a while, before replying.
"That isn't the problem."
"I figured."
He looked a bit exasperated.
"She has the potential to ruin everything. Her ignorance could cost me-us-."
"I think that's a bit unfair."
"Unfair?"
His voice rose just a bit.
"Each and everyone of us has the potential to screw up this operation, you included."
She sat down beside him, feeling a strange sense of Déjà vu.
"You never say anything to him."
"Excuse me?"
"With Charles. Its obvious you and him don't agree. You've never made a move to change his mind, yet everything I say or do is against your moral standards."
"…"
She was silent for a while, thinking about the best way to respond.
"I wish it were my choice, but I'm just following orders. Right now, the CIA agrees with Charles, because he wants to collaborate. His approach probably involves less unnecessary death, too."
Joanna smiled uneasily. However, he still remained silent.
"Then again, you certainly could have phrased that better. I don't think everything you do is wrong. I'm not sure how to react to you. You're u-unlike anyone else I've ever met before.
She had to try and find the right things to say here.
"Am I?"
"In a particular sense."
"All that CIA training didn't prepare you for me, huh?"
They fell silent again. There he was dismissing the CIA again.
It was while before Erik spoke again.
"It's good. They don't know what to expect. I'm going to be frank with you. I'm hardly some hero. My path is much more violent. But, it's not optional. I'm only here to salvage what's left of my people. Their hopes, dreams, lives, even dignity were taken from them as the entire world watched. I'm here to make one of the bastards responsi-"
She cut him off.
"Stop."
It was blatantly obvious he was in pain. Both his fists and teeth were clenched and he looked away from her. Somehow, it hurt her a little to see him like this.
She slowly reached and took one of his hands into her own. Human comfort had never been her strong suit, but then again she and Erik weren't exactly human.
"Erik, I think you're a good man, who a lot of bad things have happened to. You don't have to go down this path and you don't have to fight your demons alone. You can't just keep killing. Everyone has a limit. What happens when there's no one else to kill? No more revenge to enact? What will you do then?"
He stared at her silently before looking away again. Maybe it wasn't working? Joanna took the opportunity to look up at the sky as well. The bright blue hue and floating masses of condensed vapor seemed oddly out of place.
It was the thought that counted right?
"You like fish, I like fish too. Maybe we should get a bite sometime and talk about it."
"I'd rather go out with the fish."
Joanna grimaced as the girl walked away from who she understood to be Sean. Poor kid, his pick-up lines were almost worse than his delivery of them. The fish disappearing, really? He couldn't have honestly thought that it was going to work. That's what happens when you use your abilities to get a leg up in life, she thought. If only it could happen to Charles and sometime soon.
"Now would be a prime opportunity."
Erik's stern voice interrupted her mental musings.
"Er-right."
It was strange without Charles there. She already minded being alone with Erik and now it she had a new role. Charles and Erik were a sort of "good cop/ bad cop" duo while she was no cop. Now she had to reprise Charles's role, as he was off with Moira. It was now her job to be "the friendly English stranger with a knowledge of genetics."
Erik's approach would go something along the lines of: "We're going to murder a mass murderer. You're going to help." It would probably end up with him dragging the kid to the car. It was up to her to make the first move.
The two of them walked up to the boy.
"Close, but not quite, huh? You'll get her next time."
"Yeah. I guess"
He turned around to look at her.
"Hey…"
She wasn't sure she like the connotation there.
"Mr. Lensherr and I are from the CIA. We need to know if you'd be willing to help us with," she paused to look around, " a most classified mission."
"Sounds like fun. I'm in. Anything for you, beautiful."
"We aren't playing around here, kid. One wrong move and you could end up losing your life," Erik stated calmly.
"Are you in or out? We can give you further details depending on whether or not you agree to come with us. All I can tell you is that we'll require the use of your...abilities to stop a high level criminal. This is not a research project. As aforementioned, it's extremely dangerous. Just say the word and you can back out now."
"Danger is my middlename, sweetheart."
"We need a definitive answer."
Erik seriously wasn't playing around.
"I'm in."
"Alright, we just need to speak to your family, get their consent, and we can head back to Virginia."
"CIA headquarters? Nice. Sitting next to you on the plane for an hour? Even better."
Two hours later, they finished they arrangements with Sean's family and were headed back to the airport to meet Charles and Moira. Erik sat in the front with the driver, while Sean and Joanna sat in the back. Much to her dismay, he was still attempting to flirt with her.
"You know, when this is all over, maybe you and I could grab a bite or something together?"
Joanna looked out of the window and pretended not to hear him. Still not wholly discouraged, he leaned over to her.
"It's cool if you're shy, you know. I like that quality in a woman."
"If you're lucky, when this is all over, you'll have your life intact."
Erik had finally had enough of the kid. After glaring at him for a split second, he turned around and resumed his usual brooding.
"What's his problem?"
Joanna finally looked a Sean. This time there was a small smile on her face.
"Oh, um don't mind him. He's usually like that."
