Hope Returns
Chapter Fourteen
By: Lily Handle
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Author's Note: Alright, I've got lots of loose ends to tie up, and that's the whole point of this chapter, trying to tie up those loose ends. Well, maybe not all of the loose ends. Please read and review.
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Fury met with the staff of the Institute almost a week after Dr. Chandler had been rescued, finally giving in to their demands for information on the case against Stryker and Trask, even though Trask was dead. He'd come on his own time, without the knowledge of his superiors, not that his superiors would care. They had already complained about the X-men being the ones to find Dr. Chandler, that S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't find the information about Akelm being Stryker and other facts that made the government look like idiots. The only thing Fury was irked about was his own ego being bruised. Once again the X-men had beaten S.H.I.E.L.D. in a few more years he'd probably be use to it.
"Thank you for coming to see us, Colonel," Charles said, sitting in front of his desk.
"Not a problem," Fury said, leaning back in his chair, "I'll try and answer as many of your questions as I can. Doesn't Dr. Chandler want to be present for this?"
"Dr. Chandler is still in Southern Carolina with her family, recovering," Charles explained, "Though if you'd rather wait for her to return, she'll be coming back in a few days."
"No, that's fine," Fury looked between the instructors, "What do you want to know?"
"What are you doing about Trask's death?" Logan asked. He was standing by the window, looking out it more than looking at Fury.
"An autopsy was ordered on the body," Fury started, "The pathologist couldn't find a reasonable way to explain how he died. Some how every one of Trask's nerve endings were eviscerated, his spinal column was turned into liquid. We're covering it up as death by exposure."
"How did Hope manage that?" Hank asked, he sat next to Ororo on the couch across from Fury.
"We've started going through Trask's records," Fury smiled a bit, "Trask kept very good records about everything he did, thanks to those notes we've been able to arrest all the co-conspirators. From the notes we learned that Trask ran a few test on Dr. Chandler while he was holding her. Using some of his father's technology, stuff we didn't find when we arrested Trask Sr., Trask Jr. managed to figure out what her X-gene was," Fury explained.
"Did you confiscate this technology?" Charles asked, "I'd like to take a look at it."
"Can't release it to civilians, Mr. Xavier," Fury said, "But I can tell you what it found out. Apparently Dr. Chandler's X-gene amplifies and projects bio-electricity."
"Bio-electricity, what is that?" Ororo asked, looking towards Hank.
"The natural electrical impulses created by the brain. It sends the messages from the brain to the nerve endings and vise versa. It what allows us to feel, move, basically it's body's control system," Hank explained.
"From the files we've read, Trask believed that Dr. Chandler over loads the victims nervous system sending them into unconsciousness," Fury continued, "When she heals a person she just speeds up the electrical impulses that are in charge of healing."
"In theory Hope could control a person through their nervous system," Hank said, "She's never done any serious, permanent damage to anyone though, before Trask."
"There was a video recorder found next to Trask's body. We played the tape and it looks like he went to see her and she lost control of her powers. When we talked to her about what happened, she said the same thing. It doesn't look like she did it on purpose."
"Have you told Dr. Chandler about all of this?" Charles asked Fury.
"I thought it best you tell her. You are the experts on this."
"She'll have to start training," Logan said to the window, "Something more than what you've been putting her through Charles."
"Agreed, but we'll worry about that when Dr. Chandler returns." Charles nodded towards Logan, "Colonel Fury, what can you tell us about what will happen to Stryker? And the others involved in the kidnapping and attack?"
"They'll go to trail, the Department of Defense is taking this one, but if they're convicted they'll be placed in a S.H.I.E.L.D. operated prison. Stryker is charged with acts of terrorism, attempted kidnapping and assault and battery. The men we have are charged with mostly acts of terrorism and murder. One of the men we caught confessed to the advocate murders too, everything is falling into place." Fury said to Charles, "Dr. Chandler will have to testify about the attack as well as the kidnapping. You, Mr. McCoy and Ms. Monroe will have to testify about the attack on the Capitol. I can't tell you how long that will take. Logan, you'll have to testify about what happened to Stryker and your search."
"We will make ourselves availed for that," Charles said, "But we wont be staying in Washington this time."
"Hey, that's the Defense Department's problem," Fury held up his hands, "S.H.I.E.L.D. is just helping them out, but I have to tell you, Stryker has a chance of getting set free."
"He was involved," Logan growled, "We've got solid evidence of that."
"All the evidence you found was found by civilians, obtained illegally, and will be thrown out of court," Fury growled right back, "What we have may not be enough to hold him, if we go to trial there's a chance on appeal Stryker could get set free."
"Double jeopardy will keep him from being prosecuted again," Hank sighed, "How large is this chance?"
"It's a slight chance, I'm no lawyer, but I don't see it happening. What S.H.I.E.L.D. has found is solid and all within legal parameters."
"What else did you learn from Trask records?" Logan asked, finally glancing towards Fury.
"Trask was smart, once he heard about the bills he started planning. He used the senators that proposed the bills to get inside information about the proceedings. Or at least that's what I believe."
"Are any of the senators being charged with anything?" Hank asked.
"They kept their hands clean and Trask only revered to them as the senators, no names. We can't prove they had anything to do with the attack," Fury said shaking his head, "Even when he had a plan of attack he kept the attention away from the Capitol, his followers were the ones to murder the advocates that were to speak in front of Congress," Fury said.
"He seemed to think of everything," Charles said.
"I tried to call Charles the day before the attack, and the day of, no one answered me," Logan looked towards Charles, "I tried reaching you telepathically as well."
"Trask planned that out. He knew you wouldn't leave the students unattended, Mr. Xavier, so he used his people on the inside. The desk clerk was part of his organization, she handle all the arrangements between the hotel and yourself. Once she knew what rooms you would be staying in, she told Trask who fixed them up so no telepathic message could get in or out. When you called, Logan, she directed the call to an empty room."
"Did he claim responsibility for the bombing?" Hank asked, leaning forward.
"No, actually. The only mention of the bombing is that whoever did it would have to be thanked," Fury frowned, "We still don't know who did it."
"And Mystique, what's going to happen to her?" Logan asked.
"Under arrest from kidnapping and impersonating a federal officer," Fury smiled, "We've got her dead to rights on that, she'd being transported to jail today."
"We need to send the X-men to help." Logan turned away from the window, "There's no way Magneto's going to let her go to jail."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. can handle Mystique," Fury said, getting to his feet.
"Yes, Colonel, but can you handle Magneto?"
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Mystique was getting impatient with Magneto. She'd been held in the S.H.I.E.L.D. prison for long enough, when was he going to come get her? When she had been held in a cell, a completely metal cell, she had expected to be rescued within hours, but she'd spent over two weeks in the damn cage and now they were moving her to another one. If Magneto didn't come get her soon she'd break out on her own. She was surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos, they'd fitted her with a shock collar, there was no chance for her to shift now. Once the collar was off though, she was getting out of here. Mystique was thrown left as an explosion rocked the van. Another one went off, the van pitched and rolled onto its side. Mystique was forced to endure the rough ride, but when the van stopped she righted herself and shoulder charged the nearest commando. She looked up at the sound of metal tearing, the side of the van was being peeled back and Gambit dropped in.
"Consider us your knights in shinnin' armor, cher," He said, swinging his staff in a circle, knocking out the guards. Colossus dropped in as well, taking out the remaining commandos, and then ripping the collar off Mystique's neck.
"Took you long enough," Mystique hissed while Colossus broke the chain on the handcuffs and leg shackles.
"We've been busy," Mystique looked up, Pyro was standing on the side of the van, looking down through the hole, "And if we don't hurry we're going to be busier, little Pietro says the X-jet took off from the mansion." Mystique pulled herself out of the van, and looked around. They were on a rural road somewhere in Virginia by the looks of the area, probably only a few miles outside of Washington DC. There were two large holes blown in the street near the van, Mystique glared hard at Gambit who grinned back at her.
"Why should I let iron man here have all the fun?" He laughed, jumping out of the van.
"I'll show you fun," Mystique growled, advancing towards him.
"You really want to give the X-morons more time to get here?" Pyro yelled, "Let's get out of here, you two can settle your differences later."
"Fine," Mystique snapped, "Just how are we going to get out of here? I don't see a car or a helicopter anywhere."
"We call for a ride," Gambit held up a card, already charged at tossed it straight up. Mystique watched it explode in the air, seconds later a helicopter appeared, and it dropped a ladder down. Mystique grabbed it and while Colossus held it steady started to climb. She pulled herself into the helicopter and wasn't surprised to find Magneto waiting for her.
"What did you find out?" He asked while the others climbed the ladder.
"The president is going to let the bills pass," Mystique said, "He's more afraid of what human voters are going to think than what mutant voters think. He's going to create a special department to handle us too."
"So, he's giving in. What about Trask?"
"Dead, Dr. Chandler's the one who killed him. She lost control."
"How convenient," Magneto smiled, "I would take it your mission was successful?"
"The plans the government has for mutant policing," Mystique pulled out a small disk she had kept hidden in her leg, "They seem to be preparing for war."
"Excellent."
"Hold on here," Pyro said, "I thought you were under video surveillance the whole time. How'd you get all of this?"
"Amazing what one can carry with them these days," Mystique held out a finger on it was a small computer chip, "You put this on the side of the camera and they're none the wiser you're gone."
"So you wandered around S.H.I.E.L.D. as what a cockroach?" Pyro laughed, elbowing Gambit in the chest. Mystique tilted her head and shifted in Nicholas Fury.
"No one questions Fury."
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There was so much to be done, so much to fix. How could his best men get caught like that? They let themselves forget the bigger picture, the more important mission and because of that they'd screwed up. Well, he'd fix their mistakes and make sure they weren't made again. When the door opened behind him, he turned around and Meredith Rike walked in.
"You wanted to see me sir?" She said, completely calm and cold Meredith Rike was controlled; she would have been a better choice to run the whole mission. He should have used her in the beginning, he thought, she wasn't unstable like Trask, and she covered her tracks better than Stryker. He still liked Stryker though, he was worth keeping. Good thing that mutant doctor had taken care of Trask, murders were always hard to arrange and cover up. He's had enough of those with the advocate murders; he'd try to avoid them in the future.
"I want you to make sure Stryker is kept inform of our plans," He said, turning his back on her, "I want to keep him involved. Tell him to start recruiting from prison."
"Of course sir."
"I want to run for office, Meredith, we'll start small with the local area," He smiled thinking about his clever plan, "You'll have to marry me, the public loves a family. What do you think, two or three children?"
"Three sir, most modern families have three," she answered without a pause. Yes, she would be perfect for his plans.
"We'll be all about family values, protecting the home and keeping mutants from taking over," He continued, "But we won't be violent or angry about it, none of this "mutants threaten the American way of life" something more like…like…give me a slogan Meredith."
"Family values through segregation?" She offered.
"No, no," He waved a hand at her, "Doesn't matter now, we'll work on it later. Make friends with the locals, Meredith, tell me what they want to hear from a leader, research first. We'll be exactly what the public wants, once we have them here, we'll move for Congress. After that, the White House. Once we're there, we'll make sure these mutants don't do any more damage to the public. We'll stop them, we'll stop them, won't we?" He turned back to face her, "What do you think, dear?"
"A brilliant plan, sir."
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"Fury!" Logan called, following the man outside and down the steps in the Institute, "Wait a second Fury!" Logan had waited until the X-jet had taken off before going after Fury. He'd decided to stay behind, in a battle against Magneto he was almost useless, or that was his excuse to Hank and 'Roro. What he wanted was a conversation with Fury, alone.
Fury stopped, halfway to the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter that had brought him to the Institute, "What do you want Logan?"
"I want to talk to Stryker."
"No," Fury said, then turned to walk to the helicopter.
"Damn it, Fury," Logan grabbed his shoulder and spun the man around, "He knows something about what happened to me."
"How do you know that?" Fury shrugged off his hand and took a step back watching him suspiciously.
"He knew me. When he shot me he said "it's you", I want to know what he meant." Logan had been thinking about what had Stryker had said a lot. How the hell had a guy like Stryker, not even forty years old, known him? He certainly didn't remember Stryker from anywhere, he hadn't even gotten a sense of déjà vu looking at him, but Stryker had looked at him like he knew him.
"Logan, you flew Dr. Chandler to Baltimore airport, didn't you?" Fury sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, so what?"
"Stryker was there, waiting to pick Dr. Chandler up, he may have seen you when you landed."
"That doesn't explain it," Logan growled, "And you know it. He knows something about what happened to me."
"You can't prove it, Logan," Fury shot back, "Wait until he's in jail to talk to him. You broke most of the bones in his face, three of his ribs, and his collarbone, but that's not even a fraction of his injuries. You want me to continue listing them? The only way you're going to see him is in court and when he's in jail."
"Fury…" Logan advanced towards him.
"If I let you see him now, you'll owe me," Fury hissed, "You want to owe me again, Logan? Because I have no problem with you having to owe me." Logan stopped in his tracks, "I thought so. Good-bye Logan." Logan stood there on the lawn watching Fury and the helicopter until it vanish over the horizon. He knew Stryker knew something about what happened to him, he felt it and his instincts had never led him wrong. Stryker may have information about his past, how could Fury expect him to wait on something like that?
"Logan," Charles called from the steps. "Is there something wrong?"
Logan turned around and sighed, "Just something personal, Charles."
"You want to talk about it?" Charles asked, watching him with concern.
"Maybe later," Logan shrugged, "There's nothing to talk about, yet."
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Author's Note: The mysterious man is back, of course you still don't know who he is either. The only thing I'll tell you about him is that he'll be back in a later story. And what is Magneto up to with those government plans? What's the government up to? And what does Stryker know about Logan, if he knows anything at all? Wait, wasn't I suppose to tie up loose ends in this chapter? Whoops. Ah well, the epilogue, which is filled with fluff, is next, please read and review.
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