*amused* What happened to Jhonen? Laetitia - that's what happened ^^ Didn't I tell you guys that the fic would turn dark? *grins*
A/N 1: Ideas for fic and character development, questions, plotbunnies, suggestions, flames, character pictures, ficlets, corrections, additions, comments, and everything in between can be mailed to hack_heaven@usa.net.
Italics indicate thoughts/telepathy
* * *
Chapter Sixty-Eight: Rising Force
* * *
Kyle had always hated waiting.
It wasn't that he was an impatient person by nature - in fact, he could be called quite the opposite - in was just that the whole idea of uncertainty did not sit well with him. He wanted to know what went on around him, and not just sit still and wait for a death that might or might not come. If he had to be in danger, he wanted to see it coming and give himself a fair chance to fight back.
No, he did not like waiting at all. Especially not when it turned out that his three cellmates were even more annoyed with the situation than he was, and really didn't bother to hide it.
It had been a long, sleepless morning, left alone to his thoughts as he'd been. Long and very unpleasant as every depressing thought, every cynical doubt, and every possible outcome of this situation - each one worse than its predecessor - replayed in his mind until he was ready to scream. He knew that the humans were still hiding something - it didn't take four people to shoot someone. Any of the soldiers they'd seen would have been able to handle something like that, and that fact only added to Kyle's uneasiness.
Why them? Why like this? Why go through the trouble of capturing and blackmailing four mutant just go have them shoot someone? The speculations kept running through his mind, but still he came no closer to figuring out what was going on.
Then Suzuka had appeared, followed shortly after by Blade and Jordane, and the tension in the room had increased to something near unbearable levels.
All things considered, it really wasn't surprising that Kyle felt almost relieved when the door to the room was finally opened. Whatever awaited them - and his mind could think up some pretty creative ideas - it couldn't really get much worse than it already was.
Of course, Murphy's Law was about to prove otherwise.
* * *
Déjà-vu.
That word was the first thing that crossed Kyle's mind as they stepped into the briefing room, and not without reason. The room was all but identical to the one they had first been in when they had been told about their...'job'. The similarities were unnerving to say the least - from the wide screens on the wall and down to even the small details like the chairs and the stack of files on the table.
Probably on purpose, Kyle realized. Reminding us of the first briefing and the situation we're in.
It worked, too. The memories of the first few hours after they'd woken up were still clear in his mind, and the collar around his throat seemed to tighten for just a second, making him all too aware of its presence.
Sanders looked up as the door was opened and watched silently as they crossed the room, his body language revealing nothing but the confidence that's only possible when you have a dozen soldiers ready to back up your words with firearms if needed be.
Another moment of silence passed as the four sat down, none of them particular eager to get into a discussion at the moment - the effect from the drugs still lingered, not quite as bad as earlier, but still impossible to ignore.
Realizing that the four mutants were not about to break the heavy silence, Sanders decided to do so himself.
"I'm sure you've been wondering exactly what is supposed to happen, and why we went through all the trouble to capture you," he began, eyes slowly surveying the four. "And I assume you want an explanation."
"Well, that would be nice," Suzuka mumbled, her voice low, but her words biting.
Sanders sent her a brief, disinterested look, but otherwise ignored her comment, the gesture only adding to Suzuka's anger. She clenched her fists tightly, and felt Kyle's hand close around her own in an attempt to calm her down. She took a slow breath, then sent Kyle a small, thankful smile. Kyle smiled faintly in return, but the smile faded to a deliberately indifferent look as Sanders' eyes came to rest on the two. The man arched an eyebrow, but Kyle met his gaze without blinking, the hint of a challenge in the gesture.
Sanders smirked faintly, confidently, then continued, his eyes sweeping across the four.
"As you might have guessed, we didn't pick you randomly," he explained, one hand resting on the stack of files on the table. "We picked some of you because of your mutations...and some of you because of your unique skills. It was also not a coincidence that you ended up in the same cell." He paused momentarily. "In case you haven't realized this yet, the rest of the world thinks you're dead. We have surveillance tapes showing the four of you entering one of the hangars only minutes before it explodes, killing everyone inside...you included. No one knows you're here, and no one knows you're alive, meaning that your future survival depends entirely on me."
He stopping, giving them a chance to understand the implications of what he'd just said. He had long ago learned that something like that was vital - if they believed that they still had a chance of getting rescued, however small it might be, it would make it significantly harder to get them to co-operate, and time was the one thing they didn't have.
"Why go through that much trouble just to have one man killed?" Blade asked coldly, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.
Sanders smirked faintly, having already anticipated the question. "Because we want it to happen live on national TV."
The reply took the mutants aback and stunned them for a moment. He couldn't be serious...could he?
"What?!" Suzuka demanded. Her anger was obvious, and only Kyle's hand on hers prevented her from losing all self-control. Not that he could blame her - he himself felt much the same way.
"You think we went through all this trouble to pick the right people for no reason?" Sanders asked, not bothering to wait for a reply. "If we could have taken Senator Ross out ourselves, we would have done so. Unfortunately, having an anti-mutant government can be a liability at times," he continued, a brief look of distaste on his face.
Yeah - if he suddenly got killed by a lone gunman, it would be a little *too* convenient, Kyle added silently, feeling his worry grow increasingly stronger. What exactly, did they want them to do, anyway?
"So, we needed to find something that could take care of that little problem," Sanders continued, the usual confidence returning to his voice. "I believe you're all familiar with the term 'hostage'?"
Kyle felt a ripple of shock through his body, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Blade narrow his eyes, even he taken by surprise by the almost casual question.
He can't be talking about-
Kyle thoughts were interrupted as Sanders continued, eyes firmly fixed on the four. "It's simple, really - get inside the conference room, take over the place, use your powers in front of the cameras, and kill the senator."
"You can't-" Suzuka began, but Blade interrupted her before she could get any further.
"And what about us?" he asked coldly. "As you explained it, it's a lose-lose situation for us. Either we die here, or get gunned down in that building - why should we bother if we're going to die, anyway?
Sanders turned his attention to Blade, watching him for a second before replying. "The soldiers who are called in to handle it will be using sedatives instead of bullets. Once they have gotten you four out of the area, the collars will be removed and you will be free to leave."
Sedatives? Liar, Kyle thought disgusted. You'll let them kill us, and take the credit for getting rid of four dangerous mutants.
He exchanged a quick look with the other three, and it became clear that they were all thinking along the same lines - this was a lose-lose situation, but what choice did they have? If they said no, they would die. If they agreed...then at least there was the chance that Ryan and the others could get to them before time ran out.
The four exchanged another look, and with an understanding caused only by the extremeness of the situation, they silently agree on a decision. Even Suzuka, much as she hated to admit it, knew that they didn't have a choice - dying now was stupid if there was still the chance that their two groups would be able to save them.
"If you want us to do this, we'll need equipment," Blade said slowly, finally breaking the silence.
Sanders nodded. "As expected. Weapons, blueprints - whatever you need." He paused for a moment, eyes narrowing. "But try not to do anything stupid. Those collars will remain where they are, and the moment you start to deviate from the plan, I *will* push the detonator."
"How do we know you won't do that, anyway?" Jordane challenged, speaking for the first time since the pseudo-briefing had started.
Sanders smirked faintly. "You'll just have to trust me," he replied, a hint of cold amusement in his words.
Like we have a choice, Kyle thought darkly, but kept the observation to himself.
His point made, Sanders nodded to one of soldiers, a silent order to get the prisoners back to their cell. The soldier motioned toward his men, and Kyle and the others slowly got up, not really having much of a choice. Followed by the soldiers, the four crossed the room but were stopped by Sanders' words as they reached the door.
"You'll get the equipment today," he told them dismissively. "Rest. You will need it."
With that, the soldiers followed them out in the gray hallways, the door closing behind them with finality.
* * *
