Chapter Seven
"Perhaps you could go into a little more detail," said Pyro sarcastically.
"Fine. We know they've accumulated all the parts needed to construct both an intercontinental missile and a launching platform. All that they need now is some sort of payload for the warhead – a logical assumption would be some chemical or biological agent, or possibly a nuclear device. If that's the case, this missile would have such devastating results that the entire world could be at risk if it were ever used."
"So what's their objective?"
"We can only assume that once their weapon is completed they will announce its presence to the world, and threaten to use it unless their demands are met."
"And their demands would be what, exactly?"
"We don't know. Our intention is to stop this missile from ever reaching firing capability, so it doesn't really matter."
Crusader put in, "I tried to read their minds at the mansion, but I couldn't find out anything that might let us know their goals."
"So what do you intend to do about it?" Pyro asked.
Cyclops replied, "There are five different military facilities where the Horsemen could try to steal a chemical or nuclear weapon for their missile. As you'd expect, all five are under heavy military protection - but as we've already seen, that probably won't stop the Horsemen. My intention is for us to split up into five parties and keep watch at each of these facilities."
"Who is 'us', exactly?"
"We can't afford to fight on two fronts, Pyro, and neither can you. We have a mutual – and very dangerous – enemy in the Horsemen. I'm proposing an alliance for the duration of the threat they pose. Once we've neutralised them, we – well, I guess we can decide where to go from there."
"How do I know we can trust you?"
"We might as well ask the same question of you," Wolverine retorted.
"True, but it's your idea. OK, here's what I'll do. Show me the evidence you've got that they're building this missile. If it pans out, I'll consider an alliance."
Crusader caught my eye, and smiled at me. A little uncertainly I smiled back.
"I guess that's the best we could have hoped for," Cyclops responded. "You'll have to come back to the mansion to see the evidence, of course."
"All right, but Gladiator and Cassandra are coming with me. If you people intend to stab me in the back at any point, I'd rather have them by my side."
"Fine. We have no intentions of betraying you. Get anything you need and get ready to go; we can't waste any time."
I hadn't been expecting ever to return to the mansion, especially not at the invitation of our enemies, and that wasn't the only thing that was bothering me as the jet descended from the clouds into the open hangar below. Cassandra sat beside me, keeping close, still uncertain of the X-Men's proposal of an alliance. She didn't trust them and she wanted to stay near me for protection. My thoughts, however, were centred entirely elsewhere. I still couldn't believe Marina was alive; it still felt like I was going to wake up at any moment and find out she was gone after all. Since her death – her supposed death – I'd had countless dreams in which I had discovered she had survived, in which all of my anxieties and sorrows were abated and I could be happy for ever and ever. I had to keep convincing myself that this wasn't a dream; that it was real. Part of me couldn't bear to let her out of my sight; in a way I was afraid that she might disappear forever if I lost sight of her for just one second. She was so precious to me, so delicate, so vulnerable – so fragile. Marina needed protecting, and I was the one to do it. Of course, I knew I mustn't take it too far – she was a living, breathing person, not a china doll – but I was so afraid that it might happen again: that she might be attacked, and this time Crusader might not be there to heal her. I was naturally afraid for Marina's safety. I knew she had her own powers and could use them to protect herself, but still…I felt it was the duty of every man to defend the woman – or women – he loved. It was an instinct. I knew I would do anything to protect her, and could never ever harm her. Aqua was still one of the X-Men, and I was still with the Brotherhood, but some things went above that. For that reason I hoped that Pyro would agree to this alliance. I didn't want to be apart from Marina.
Right now she sat a little distance away, looking sadly at the floor. She hadn't spoken a word since she had seen Cassandra kissing me, and it had clearly been a shock for her. I felt guilty in a way; Marina was suffering great psychological anguish and I had promised that I loved her. Now I felt as if I had broken that promise. It wasn't as if I could claim that I had fallen in love with Cassandra after I had thought Marina was dead. It had happened before that. How could I have fallen in love with one girl almost immediately after doing the same thing with another? Surely that wasn't right. I sighed. I didn't know what to make of it. Love was a madness; nobody had ever been able to fully understand how it worked. I knew I wasn't going to be the one who finally unravelled its mysteries. All I knew was that I loved both of them, but I couldn't be with both of them. Somewhere along the line I would have to choose.
"I called Oculus," came Shapeshifter's voice from the controls. "He's still recovering from using Cerebro, so he won't be able to tell us anything right away."
Pyro sighed impatiently, "So there really wasn't any point getting back here quickly."
"We can still show you the military storage records we illegally downloaded to find out what had been stolen."
"Yeah, we were trying to do the same thing," I said. "Well, Recyclo was."
Cyclops frowned, "If Recyclo found out the same things we did – if he knows what the Horsemen are trying to do – I'm not happy with the thought of him playing some unknown part in this."
"There's only one of him," Iceman pointed out. "How dangerous can he be?"
"We can't underestimate him."
Once we had landed, we left the jet and they led us into their underground base. They were obviously taking Pyro to wherever they had the information stored, and I was following him when I felt a gentle hand on my arm. I turned. Marina looked away from me nervously and said, "Gary, I – I need to t – talk to you."
"Right now?"
"Yes. I – I – "
I guessed she wanted us to be alone. The rest had gone on ahead of us, only Cassandra remaining at my side. I looked at her, "Um, why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch you up."
Cassandra looked at Marina suspiciously, then said, "Fine. Be quick about it."
I sensed she wasn't pleased, but I didn't have any time to think about it as she hurried away to join Pyro. Marina and I were alone in the corridor just outside the aircraft hangar and she was looking unhappily at the floor, still not sure of herself.
"So…" I prompted her.
She looked up, "I – I just want to – I just want to know where I stand. That's – that's all. Just – just tell me if our relationship has – has changed."
"Changed?"
"You and – and that girl…"
"Cassandra."
"Do you love her?"
Her eyes looked directly into mine, and for once she didn't drop her gaze and look elsewhere. I stared into her eyes, losing myself in those twin depths of magical emerald. It was a sight I had never thought I would see again, a sight my heart and mind had craved for what felt like eternity. I could see in Marina's eyes how badly she wanted to know that I still loved her; how fervently she was hoping that I would tell her Cassandra was only my friend, that there was nothing between us.
"I love you," I told her, my hand gently caressing her cheek.
"That – that doesn't…" she swallowed nervously, then found new confidence from somewhere. "Gary, you – you promised me that you wanted to love me and – and help me get over my trauma. You – you can't then turn around and tell me that – that you've fallen in love with somebody else."
"I know…"
"So t – tell me the truth."
I had to. I had no choice. I could lie or be selective about the truth in order not to hurt her feelings, but it wouldn't do any good. She could always get Annie to read my mind. It would hurt Marina even more to know that I had lied to her. I stepped closer, took her hands and sighed, "OK, Marina, I won't lie to you. I do love you. But I love Cassandra too."
"You can't – you can't love both of us."
"I can't, but I do. I'm still confused about it, about everything. I thought you were dead and I've only just found out that I was wrong. My mind's all in a turmoil and nothing's making any sense right now."
"Are – are you sure that you love me? Are you – are you sure you don't just feel s – sorry for me?"
"No!" I protested, holding her hands tighter. "If I thought you were pitiful I wouldn't want to spend any time with you. I love you and you know that."
"Gary, I – "
"Marina?" came a voice from our right.
It was Shapeshifter, her adoptive father. He looked at me a little warily and said, "We noticed you two were missing, and I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurting her."
"I wasn't."
"Make sure you don't. Come on, Marina."
She obediently went to his side, and he indicated that she go on to join the others. She went; I made as if to follow her, but Shapeshifter stood in my way.
"What do you want?" I said.
"Just to warn you. I don't care what you try to do to the rest of us, but if you dare to harm Marina – ever – I swear I'll make you so sorry you'll wish you'd never been born."
His eyes met mine in a challenging stare, and I folded my arms, "I've got no intention of harming her. I love her."
"Don't – just don't!" he snapped angrily. "You have no idea what my daughter is going through. I won't have you confessing your love to her then changing your mind on a whim and leaving her heart torn open. Stay away from her. I'm warning you."
"I think you'll find she likes me too."
"And I think you'll find I know Marina a lot better than you do. The last thing she needs is to have you messing up her already fragile emotional state. Maybe you think it's all right to have a short-term relationship with a girl without ever getting too serious about her – in Marina's case that is not all right. Her mental health has been improving steadily over the last week or so – I am not going to let you set her back."
"You can't tell me what to do," I said defiantly. "You're not my father."
"I'm Marina's. And I'm telling you again: stay away from my daughter. "
Before I could retort further he turned and walked away from me, back in the direction he had just come, to wherever the others were. I was not afraid of his warning or his threats. He couldn't stop me being with Marina if that was what she and I wanted. At the same, however, his words had struck a nerve. He was right about one thing. Marina's mind was in a fragile state, and it wouldn't help to have me messing it up even more. I knew I loved her – at least, I thought I did – but I knew Shapeshifter was right. If I wasn't 100% serious about loving Marina, if I wasn't interested in a stable long-term relationship with her, then I should get out of her life right now.
He had turned the corner up ahead and I went that way too. I was supposed to be acting as Pyro's bodyguard, so I decided I really ought to find out where he was. Just as Shapeshifter reached a door on the left, Pyro emerged, calling to me, "Gladiator? Over here."
"What's up?" I said, hurrying towards him.
"Their evidence seems like the real deal. Where were you?"
"Exchanging pleasantries," I said sarcastically, glancing at Shapeshifter.
That man's hard, angry look did not change.
"So have you made a decision?" I asked Pyro. "About the alliance?"
"I'm leaning towards it. I want to see what Oculus – what your father found out as well. I'm told he'll recover soon."
"What do we do until then?"
"Wait, I guess, and enjoy the hospitality of our splendid hosts."
There were some empty dormitory rooms upstairs, and we were shown to one of these while we waited. Cassandra sat on one of the beds and watched me a little uncertainly. Pyro appeared to be inspecting one corner of the room.
"This is my old room," he said suddenly. "From when I used to live here. I recognise the burn marks from when I accidentally set fire to Iceman's bed. I can't believe it was so long ago. It feels like just yesterday, although so much has happened since then. That was back before – "
He stopped, and a pained look appeared on his face for a second, before he forced his normal expression back into place.
"Are you…remembering your friend?" said Cassandra hesitantly.
"Huh?"
"Your friend Jacqueline. You told us about her…"
"Did I? Oh yeah, I did. Yeah, I was just remembering when – when she was alive – "
Pyro turned away, but not before we caught the glimpse of a single tear dropping from his eye. He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, his voice shaking, "I'm going – out. I'll – just – "
He was gone, the door closing behind him, and Cassandra and I looked at each other. Neither of us wanted to say anything. It didn't feel right to be talking about Pyro behind his back this way. His memories were clearly tearing him apart. Eventually she broke the silence, "So what did that girl want?"
"Her name's Marina."
"Huh? I thought you said Marina was dead."
"Yeah, I – I thought so too."
"She was the one you loved?"
"Uh, yeah."
Cassandra raised her eyebrows, "This doesn't change anything, right? I mean, we're still going to get married?"
I swallowed nervously, "I don't know what I'm going to do now. I can't promise anything."
"Are you serious? You promised to marry me, Gladiator. You can't suddenly decide you love somebody else instead, not once you've committed yourself."
"I know, but it isn't as simple as that. You see, I thought she was dead and now that I – "
"No! It is as simple as that! If you loved her, you should never have agreed to marry me! If you love me, it shouldn't make a difference whether she's alive or dead!"
"I know, I know, you're right. Logically that makes sense, but I can't control the way I feel about people. I still love you, but – well, I told her the truth so I have to tell you too – I love Marina as well."
Cassandra was angry, "Well, I'm not prepared to marry somebody whose heart is somewhere else! If you had any respect for me you'd have told me about her long before now!"
"I thought it wouldn't matter! I thought she was dead!"
"Well, she isn't! So you'd better decide who it is you really care about! Because at the moment, it doesn't look like it's your supposed fiancée!"
Before I could do anything else she had left the room, slamming the door behind her, and I was alone. I sank down on to one of the beds and sighed deeply. I had to get this sorted out. I couldn't keep messing the two of them around like this. I needed some help and advice from somewhere, but who from? The answer, when it came to me, was surprisingly obvious.
I found her along the corridor in her own bedroom. Nudging open the door, I found her locked in an embrace with her mother - our mother - the two of them sharing their relief at being together again.
"I didn't know if I would ever see you again," Gaia was saying softly, holding Crusader tightly to her. "When you were captured by the Brotherhood, all I felt was guilt; guilt that I had allowed my only daughter to risk her life when you were still a child. And after we had already lost Gary…"
"Mum, he's behind you."
Gaia let go of Crusader and turned around to face me.
"I don't understand you, Gary," my mother said. "Why did you join the Brotherhood? What was it that made you change? Your father and I tried to bring you up to believe in the same things we do - where did we go wrong?"
"I suppose you never really explained why we should care what happens to the humans. I still don't understand why you people want to go out of your way to help those who hate us."
"As I said before, in many ways they're really no different from us. They simply fear what they don't understand. They feel threatened by mutants with powers that could cause harm if used irresponsibly."
"I still don't see why - "
"My own parents were humans, Gary. Your grandparents, though they died before you were born. I was raised and loved by humans - I can't ever do anything to hurt them."
"OK, I understand that. Maybe some humans do deserve to live. But you can't deny some of them will never accept us, and will seek to hurt us in any way they can."
"Yes, and those are the ones we have to protect ourselves from. But they have as much of a right to life as we do. We aren't better than them. We're just different. If we show them that we're willing to live in peace, maybe they'll realise and do the same thing."
Her head turned slightly as if she had just heard something, "Your father's coming round. He just telepathed to me. I have to go to him. I'll talk to you later."
Gaia hurried from the room, leaving Crusader and me together. My sister smiled, "You're starting to understand, Gary. You're starting to learn why human life is important."
"Annie, I need you to read my mind," I told her.
"What for?"
I sighed, "There's so much I'm confused about, but most of all it's over Cassandra and Marina. Both of them are hurt because they feel I've betrayed them. I can't go on loving both of them, but I do love both of them. I need you to read my mind and tell me what I should do."
"Gary, I can't tell you how to lead your life. I can give you advice based on what I feel, but…you have to make up your own mind. I don't know Cassandra so I can't advise you regarding her."
"What about Marina?"
She sighed, "I know Shapeshifter has already told you this, but you have to be aware what kind of state Marina is in. If you do decide to be with her, I can warn you it isn't going to be easy for you. Marina might one day recover from her trauma, but there's no guarantee. It will take a lot of time, a lot of patience, and a lot of love on your part. If you think she's worth it, then by all means ask her to be with you. If you don't think you can devote yourself to somebody that deeply, then you'd be best to leave her alone."
"I know, but I promised her that I would stay by her side and help her get over it."
"You made promises to both of them."
"Yeah, I did," I sighed. "Annie, what should I do?"
"It's not for me to tell you. I can go inside your mind a little and try to help clear up some of your confusion so you can think more clearly. But not right now."
"Why, what's up?"
"We still have to find the cure to the Plague, remember? I've just been told it's killing mutants as well as humans, so I presume you won't be standing in our way any longer. Too many people have died already."
I knew that only too well. While part of me didn't care – they were only human, their lives didn't matter – another part of me was agreeing with Crusader. At the moment I was uncertain which part was more prominent.
"So where is it?" I said. "Somebody said you had hidden the last sample of the vaccine."
"I did. I left it in the care of a human doctor. His intention was to begin distributing it immediately, but seemingly that never happened. From what we can tell, word leaked out about the cure, and the government took possession of it. Clearly they haven't started issuing it to the public, and we need to find out why. We think they've handed it over to one of their top scientists to study further. Perhaps they don't realise how desperate the Plague situation is. We need to get the cure back, by force if necessary. Hopefully it won't come to that. Dad should be fully recovered by the time I get back."
"You're going alone?"
"I have to. Everybody else is going to be concentrating on the Horsemen. I'm hoping to be inconspicuous by going alone."
"Let me come with you."
Annie looked surprised, "What?"
"It's my fault that the last vaccine was destroyed. If you need help getting this sample back, then I want to do something to make up for my previous actions."
"So you're starting to regret using the Plague on the humans?"
"I didn't say that. I - let's just say I'm not really sure about anything any more."
"Well, you'd better get ready. I'm going to leave any moment."
She headed for the door, and I said, "Annie?"
My sister turned, "Yes?"
"What if we can't find the vaccine?"
"Then every person on the Earth, human and mutant alike, will be dead within two weeks."
I closed my eyes and sighed, "And all of it will be my fault."
