Disclaimer – I got my hair, I got my toes, got my smile, got my nose but I don't owwwnn any of these characters….(ish)!
A/n – Now this update may be slightly overdue, but I've just had one of those crazy 'pass by so fast 'cos you just have so much to do' years. Hopefully now I have some time off I'll be able to update quicker then once a year!
I've been spending ages going through all the chapters and cleaning up any spelling mistakes etc. to make it easier to read, seeing as you've no doubt forgotten what this fic was all about in the first place! (Hair dye, pranking, ice cream, mini plastic leprechauns...)
Thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed in my absence, I haven't quite figured out the new reviewer response system yet, but once I do I will get back to you!
A quick thank you to Morrigan Fearn, whose ideas regarding the Hellions I always love to steal!
This chapter is just a quickie (expect the next one to be a LOT longer!), I hope you enjoy, and expect more to follow soon!
Shaw Estate, England
"Argh!" Yelled Sebastian Shaw as he brought his fist down angrily and pounded the table. "How did this happen?"
"They tapped into our security feed, switched the camera images around" voiced Empath as he popped a few aspirin in his mouth. He had a killer headache.
"We had no idea the West Wing was being infiltrated" finished Tarot
"Until the gems were stolen that is…" pointed out Roulette
"Yes…the ones which you overpaid morons let the X-Men get away with!" spat Shaw as he stood up and leaned forward on his desk. "As you can tell…I'm not too happy about that!"
"Hey we are not overpaid!" retorted Roulette indignantly, "If anything, with all the extra hours we've been doing in recent months we deserve a pay rise!"
"I just can't believe I lost to something that crawled of ze Louisiana swamps!" spat Tarot, "Don't say anything Manuel!"
Empath shrugged, "But I was only going to have fun belittling you for the rest of your life. Oh well, I'll enjoy your embarrassment and shame quietly, then. So, Sharon, run into any nice statues today?"
"Here we go…" moaned Jetstream
"Careful…" hissed Catseye, "or I just might forget that I promised not to spread your entrails all over the lawn."
"That's enough"
Emma moved from her position against the doorframe and walked over, perching herself on the end of Shaw's desk. "Why all the long faces? From my point of view, we're a lot better off then we were a few hours ago."
Shaw shook his head at her with distaste. "We've lost the gems, we are no closer to finding the location of that security deposit box then we were two months ago, and to top it all off, we are finalising billions of pounds worth of deals on Tuesday – for which we have no product! Where exactly is this point of view of yours coming from? Disneyland?"
Emma smiled at him sumptuously before responding. "Now, now Seb, before focusing on what we don't have…think instead of what we now know."
The Hellions and Shaw perked up, "Meaning?" enquired Shaw
"Well…" said Emma, "To begin with we have a clearer picture of who exactly we're dealing with."
"Giving us a more accurate idea of which 'obstacles' we have to get out of the way" Said Jetstream, catching on quickly
"Like Miss Elisabeth Braddock…" stated Roulette venomously
"Sour grapes, much?" goaded Catseye
"I'm sorry, but weren't you just knocked out by a garden ornament?" jeered Roulette
"Since when was 150 pounds of solid concrete an ornament?" hissed Catseye
"It's true, we didn't have any idea the Braddock girl was so…gifted." Observed Emma, "and as for Warren Worthington III, who saw that coming? But now that we know they, and Magneto's charges have formed an alliance, we will be much better prepared for our next encounter."
"While this information is interesting," said Shaw dismissively, "I'm still not seeing that silver lining Emma."
"We know the X-men have the Cyttorak gems," said Emma, "which means we know exactly where to go if we want them back."
"But what about the deposit box?" asked Jetstream
Emma smirked and raised her closed palm, before opening it to let a set of army tags on a long silver chain dangle slowly around in the air.
"Let's just say it's a good thing I'm around to clean up Anthony's mess."
Review! It would be great to know if you've connected all the dots yet!
Love ya!
Soulstress
xxx
