A/N: Hi all. Some more filler info, some more stuff on 646's little clan. BTW, I have nothing against members of minority parties. Please don't read anything into any of the Sect's discriminatory views. Ho Hum! Oh, Faith have fun on vacation. Thanxs for reviewing even while gone. Tiger, yeah this story is getting really long. I'm starting to think it never will (it will, trust me) I'm just having trouble moving things along. Oh, and if you get the chance go read my new story Not Ready To Lead about what happened to Peter and thee other escaped X-Kids after the attack on the mansion. That's all, go read…
Knock! Knock!
Charles Xavier looked up from where he was grading papers.
"Come in," he said, surprised to see Hank McCoy's face peer around the corner. "Hank, what a pleasant surprise. Finally emerging from the depths of the medlab, eh?"
"I hate to admit it Charles, but it's strangely quiet down there right now," the big, blue doctor confessed, seating himself in a chair in front of the desk.
"Ah, having separation anxiety already?" Charles asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"It's a little lonely without her. Never thought I'd live to hear myself say that…" Hank cleared his throat, embarrassedly. "Ahem, but I figured I could use this time to asked what you've managed to learn about who she's running from."
"Not who, Hank, what." He reached into his desk and handed Hank a
pamphlet. "I called in a favor to a few
of my old buddies still in the service.
What they managed to tell me was quite astounding."
"What they managed to tell
you, Charles, or what you managed to pick from their brains over the phone?" The Professor shot Hank a look, pausing in
ripping Sam's physics paper to shreds.
"I don't ask where you keep your Twinkie stash, do I Hank?" he asked, warning the good doctor not to ask, not to tell. Shaking his head slightly at his companion's hearty chuckle. 'But back to business,' he thought.
"It's an origination known as The Sect," Charles explained, gesturing to the papers in Hank's hands. "It was founded back in the thirties as an off shoot of a military school fraternity." Judging by the dark and deeply troubled look on The Professor's face as he spoke, Hank had feeling that this story wasn't going to end happily. "It was founded…well, its original purpose was to prevent the integration of military townships. The group operated underground, doing everything from threatening potential property buyers to pulling stunts the KKK would never have dreamed of." Charles paused, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Now, I'm afraid, they've begun targeting most minorities. Everyone from Hispanics to Homosexuals to-,"
"To mutants?" Hanks interjected, scanning the papers. It was an insider record: minutes from an old Sect meeting in Virginia. The details it carried regarding the 'disappearance' of a certain black Army patroller's family members was highly disturbing.
"Exactly," Xavier muttered. "Since their founding the group has spread throughout the nation, I'm afraid. Taking root around most major military bases, and spreading amongst all the services. And it just so happens that Paramount, Zoe's old town, is home to 50% of the staffers of Fort Krane." Hank sighed deeply, burying his head in his hands. This was so much worse than he'd first imagined.
"That's undoubtedly why they've targeted her, but what were they planning to do when…if they caught her?" Hank asked.
"From what I've learned, the group's usual course of action is to try and prevent problems before they start, keeping the more 'undesirable' types away from their establishments if possible. In the case of mutants, it's a little more difficult sometimes," Charles diverted his eyes from his friend, rolling his chair around to gaze out the window behind him. "Usually they discreetly try to drive the mutant and their family out of town. In Zoe's case, when her powers emerged so violently and so publicly, it was The Sect's idea of a publicity nightmare."
"See, it would seem that The Sect has also been expanding beyond the bounds of the military, using today's modern media to their advantage, or should I say, the media's employees," The Professor continued, rubbing his temple with his fingertips. "In the rare cases such as Zoe's, that's the group's next line of attack. It usually involves covering up whatever incidents may occur and keeping them from the public eye. But again, in Zoe's case it would seem that all did not happen as planned. She eluded them twice. After that, I wouldn't put them past killing her if she was apprehended, I really wouldn't."
"And this means what, Charles?" Hank asked, struggling to comprehend all the information he had just been handed.
"This means that we have to be very careful, Hank." He said a little sadly. "Our newest student has some very dangerous enemies."
