Chapter Four
"Hey Jones" Rogue greeted the young teen in a familiar manner. He turned from the wall of television screens and took out the pea-sized headphones.
"Hey Rogue" he greeted back as if it was some kind of ritual. He turned back to the screen.
"We're partners in insomnia," Rogue explained to Carol, at her slightly puzzled glance. "Jones has some kinda mental remote control. We just put him in front of a screen and….well look at him go"
"Yes," Jones agreed, absently, Carol watched the channels flick rapidly as he blinked his eyes, "But I don't need to sleep. You choose not to"
"Mah prerogative" she replied, chiding him mildly. A sudden BAMF heralded the arrival of Kurt. He bowed gracefully to the two women and waited. Presently the whole team: Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Jubilee, Iceman, Colossus, Shadowcat, and, of course, the Professor, arrived in the Situation Room.
As soon as the whole team settled, Jones, seemingly unaware of his rapt audience, flicked all of the TV's to one wide screen channel.
"…Police have surrounded the residence. The assailant is believed to be a mutant, around the age of seventeen. Police have not confirmed the identity of the hostages, but it suspected that they are the owners of the house, Jon and Patsy Burgeon." The blonde, very southern news anchor cut to a camera on scene.
Jones killed the sound and said matter-of-factly, "I've hacked the mainframe of the Caldecott County Sheriff's office. They haven't yet been able to get a hold of the FBI. Or rather what they think is the FBI. I assume you're gonna plat the SWAT card again?"
" Yeah, if we don't it'll only be a matter of time before this spreads into a national spectacle. We need to get in the air. Now." Cyclops adopted his fearless leader persona. "Bobby, Peter, home guard"
The Russian monolith simply bowed his head in acknowledgement. Bobby looked distinctly unhappy. It was clear he didn't want to stay back, but after the attack on the school, which resulted in the abduction of six students, Cyclops took his 'homeland security' very seriously.
"Let Bobby go" Rogue said softly. Cyclops nearly lost his visor as his head whipped around.
"What do you mean?" asked Bobby, now angry that his girlfriend was trying to cover for him.
"Ah can't go back down there." She said thickly, "It'd do y'all more harm than good."
"Fair enough" Logan said challengingly, daring Cyclops to disapprove.
"We need you," Cyclops said flatly, "If things get out of hand you're the only one who can put a lid on it."
"Y'all did it before Ah came here, y'all can do it again without me." Rogue said defiantly, "Ah ain't goin' back to Mississippi."
"You have to face it eventually," Storm said softly.
"Then ah'll do it on my terms." The Rogue was not moved.
"We need you," Cyclops said shortly, "I can't let you stay here."
"Jesus one-eye, if she don't wanna go don't make her go. That's bad for everyone." The Wolverine growled.
"Yeah really, I mean, no offence chica" Jubilee snapped her gum.
Cyclops ignored them both. "Storm, Kitty, you have B & E. Hank, Kurt, you've got Blackbird detail. Logan, Carol, you two and I are going in head to head. Jubilee and Rogue, you're the Hush Puppies."
"Scott…" the Professor began.
"We need her," Scott cut him off bluntly; "She can neutralize a situation gone out of control. No one else can." He turned to face her, "You can stay out of sight, and you don't need to talk to anyone, just run our surveillance, and stay out of the thick of things."
"Damnit one-eye," Logan threatened.
"S'all right," Rogue cut him off, putting a calming hand on his bicep, "He does have a point. Y'all need me."
Her assent seemed to settle the matter and the team went in the locker room to change. They only had one locker room. Carol was somewhat startled as Scott, Logan, and Kurt all began to strip off their outer garments as if it was no big deal.
Strom must have caught her deer-in-the-headlights gaze because she smiled, "Believe me Carol, after a while you don't even notice."
The African woman had already shed her shirt and was working on the buckle of her belt. Jubilee, who had the locker next to Storm, was merrily cursing at her stubborn boot. The only one who didn't look thoroughly unselfconscious was Rogue, who slunk off into a deserted corner to pull on her gear.
That was thoroughly understandable, all things considered. Her uniform was different from the others though. She had a sleeveless jumpsuit that cut short around her knees, like a cycling jersey, with a leather jacket over the torso and long boots. She also carried two gigantic handguns, one under each arm. She was the only one of the team overtly armed.
As Carol watched, she slipped two monster handguns into the empty holsters. She frowned; the professor had told her explicitly that the X-Man didn't kill, but there was really only one purpose for a handgun. She didn't have an opportunity to argue, they all piled up into the Blackbird under Cyclops's supervision and finished the pre-mission prep in the air.
Logan, Scott, and Carol all donned SWAT gear over their jumpsuits. Jones was going to relay that the FBI was sending in a crack 'mutant' unit to handle the situation. In reality, the FBI was never going to know.
Shadowcat and Storm pulled on a slimmer, more sleek version of the uniform, with climbing boots, thin leather gloves, and short, removable panels of bulletproof body armour. They also equipped with climbing lines and pitons, they were responsible for breaking and entering. Anywhere
It was Rogue and Jubilee who took the longest to arm. They both wore long matrix-esque jackets made of slashed up burlap and canvas. It made them look like snipers. Then to Carol's surprise, Rogue fetched a long box and opened it to reveal a very intimidating sniper rifle.
"I thought the X-Men didn't use guns?" Carol finally got the opportunity to ask.
"They're tranq's" Jubilee, grinned and held up a clip of the dart-like ammunition. "Takes a page out of their own book, the bastards, that's why we're the Hush Puppies. When things get out of hand, I flash 'em she narc's 'em" she held up her hand with a globule of plasmoid, it exploded leaving Carol temporarily blinded and forming spots in front of her eyes.
"Natural dead shot, trained her myself," Wolverine grunted from a few chairs up.
"Is that so?" Carol said teasingly, but then when Rogue didn't respond, she asked, "Rogue?"
"Non" a voice, with a light, cheerful and completely French accent said. It was Rogue's body but clearly, Rogue wasn't home. "C'est Beatrix, Rogue es….busy"
"Is she alright in there?" asked Hank, the new team physician, cautiously, several of Rogue's personalities had tried desperately to 'get out' of her head through self-mutilation.
"Oui" the Quebec answered, "Tres bien…Ah, whoops, sorry" Rogue's southern drawl returned suddenly, "Just a little… mental housekeeping."
"Housekeeping?" Carol wondered at the sanity of someone who slipped personas so easily, "That was vaguely disturbing"
"Who was it?" Rogue asked curiously, carefully oiling and assembling the large firearm.
"Beatrix" Kurt supplied, from the next chair over, seemingly fascinated with the process of building a weapon.
"Oh yeah, she don't speak English. Sorry" Rogue finished the gun and hefted it admiringly, then set it down at her feet, like an admiring sheepdog, before digging in her jacket pocket for a small, round tin of Red Man chewing tobacco.
"Rogue…" Storm said admonishingly.
"Hey don't look at me, blame that guy on my nicotine addiction." She pointed a finger at Logan, "Just be thankful I don't smoke them nasty cigarillos."
"Yeah thank heaven for small favours." Jubilee handed Rogue an empty coke can as a spittoon. The joshing and ribbing continued for a few more minutes until it was time to land and everyone but Carol, Logan, and Scott donned heavy Nomex baklavas, partly to conceal their faces, but partly because a pyromaniac was on the loose and working for the wrong side. The three of them put on black watch caps.
"Ok people, we're the SWAT team. Try and act like it. With any luck we can get this done quick and painless." Cyclops pulled the SWAT vest over his own gear.
They landed amidst three Caldecott County Deputy Patrol vehicles and two 'police' trucks, that had 'police' stencilled in white paint over the homegrown Army camouflage.
"Heads up Tubby," an equally stout deputy warned the Sheriff elect, "Feds"
"Officers," Cyclops bowed his head to the Sheriff, "We're here to assist in the mutant situation."
"An' jus' who th' hell invited you to th' party?" his accent was a cheap copy of Rogue's but less cultured. She was the Lady of the plantation house. He was the hired help. They had one similarity. The Sheriff spat tobacco juice all over Carol's boots.
"Your dispatch got through to the FBI mutant response hotline an hour ago." Cyclops said evenly, "We're expected."
Of all of them, Logan, Carol, and Scott were the only ones who looked the part. Storm and Shadowcat were too lithe and slender to be heavy hitting paramilitaries. Jubilee and Rogue were far too petite and curvy to fit the androgynous image of the uniform.
"Since when were wimmin' SWAT grunts?" one of the Deputies boldly challenged.
There was a slight whiffing sound, like when bee flies too close to your face, and the sheriff shouted loudly as his hat flew off. In Rogue's hand was a silenced .22, a gun Carol didn't even know she had.
"Holy mother of god," the deputy who picked it up displayed the perfect bulls-eye through the badge of his smoky the bear hat.
"This 'wimmin' can waste a gnat's ass at a hundred yards, bub," Rogue growled, sounding for a moment like a female Wolverine. She hefted the rifle menacingly. The unspoken message was 'mess with me, please'.
The Sheriff looked furious, but stepped aside for Cyclops, who only looked a little less furious and glared at Rogue. As they turned, everyone heard the Sheriff mutter the n-word under his breath as Ororo passed. The black woman chuckled, apparently amused at the garden-variety bigot. It was a strange world you lived in when an average bigot was something of a relief.
"You know the drill people," Cyclops barked.
Storm and Shadowcat slid, bonelessly past the house to secure the back of the property. No one was going in or out. Rogue and Jubilee just blended, seamlessly, into the kudzu.
"Cyclops, check one" he activated the earpiece built in his visor.
"Storm, check two"
"Nightcrawler, check three" he and Hank were in the plane. He was the MedEvac Hank was the EMT.
"Rogue… checks all" She and Jubilee were the eyes and ears of the operation. Between the scope on the rifle and the binoculars, they could probably count the scales on the gnat before Rogue blew it away.
"Let's get it on" Cyclops ordered.