{11 days after the events in X2: X-Men United}
Dr. D.B. Banner sat at his desk, looking haggard. He had spent the better part of the last seven days pouring over data from the former fortress of the Brotherhood of Mutants – Island-M. Magneto and one other mutant had escaped, and their whereabouts were unknown. And now, the Massachusetts Academy raid yielded another boatload of documents, records, timetables, and schematics to assign to his teams. "Those poor staffers", he thought. They already had been putting in an obscene amount of overtime since the first HUGE shipment of information from Oprah Industries. He knew that some members of Congress were getting nervous – no doubt due to any number of secret back-room dealings and payoffs they had been privy to. That is why the M.I.B. (Mutant Investigation Bureau) was subject to no oversight, save that of the President and Joint Chiefs. The man rubbed his temples again, eyes blurring from the information overload, as the phone rang. "Banner here", he answered. Noone had this number except the President and the Joint Chiefs.
"Dr. Banner, I hope I'm not disturbing you at this hour", said an unapologetic Ronald Dryer. The Secretary of Defense was not one for small talk, so this formality was not going to last long. "I need your people to give us another set of possible targets for Operation Avenger as soon as possible. And Magneto HAS to be found."
"I know that Mr. Secretary", Dr. Banner replied, "I have people still working on the Massachusetts Academy intel. And the O.I. intel has still not been fully exploited. Hell, half of this stuff still hasn't been properly classified."
"Doctor, we just don't have as much time as we'd like", Secretary Dryer's emotionless tone seeped through the phone. "Every day that Magneto is not caught is another day that our world is not safe…"
"Would you please save me the campaign slogans Mr. Dryer", Dr. Banner had to suppress the urge to curse at the man. "I'm sorry if I sound rude, but we have the best people in the country looking over WAY more data than humanly thought possible. The sheer SIZE and SCOPE of this information is nearly overwhelming. These mutant groups were into everything – corporations, money markets, and politics. Hell, we've had to scramble to investigate and kill every program that O.I. had ever done for the Pentagon. This is going to take a little longer than the week and a half we've had so far."
"I know that Banner. But the President wants results. Two days ago we lost the Emma Frost woman to some mutant vigilante squad. This Massachusetts raid just barely pulled everybody's collective assess out of the fire. But, as you know, we're only as good as our last victory. Magneto still has to be caught. Dead or alive, but you know we're shooting for dead."
"I know, I know. If I can get back to my work, I may have something by tomorrow morning."
"Very well then, have a nice evening."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Scott Summers had barely left his room for the last two days. Everything was spinning out of control. Almost two weeks ago Jean died saving them all at Aikili Lake. For four days after that, they spent their time saving mutants from anti-mutant rioters. Then the government attacks began with such swiftness and ferocity that they didn't even have enough time to properly react. The X-Men didn't have enough time to mourn Jean either. If it weren't for Professor Xavier's psychic help, Cyclops would've gone insane, having received the sum total of Jean's mind. But two days ago, all that changed. In order to prevent him from lobotomizing himself, or killing them all… or both… Professor Xavier performed something akin to psionic surgery. The Professor ripped Jean out of his mind, and shunted the psychic imprint into the comatose body of Emma Frost.
Frost. Is that what she's going to want to be called? Those first few minutes after she regained consciousness were insane. There was this woman, speaking like she knew him… and expecting him to run over and give her a hug. He ran out of there as fast as he could and hadn't returned to the infirmary since. Ororo and Logan had tried to coax him into seeing her, claiming that this woman had somehow assimilated some of Jean's personality and ALL of her memories. They said that they resisted talking to her at first as well, but after doing so, that he would understand why they thought it was important. But Scott wasn't ready to do that yet. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door.
"Go away", he yelled as he got back to his brooding. How could anyone expect him to care about ANYTHING? Jean was gone. There wasn't anything more for anyone to say, or anything to do. Even Jean's last gift to him was gone now… and no doppelganger was going to make up for his lost love. The knocking got a little harder, and more persistent. "I told you to please GO AWAY!" But the other person apparently did NOT get the message. After 30 seconds of silence, the knocking began again. Scott muttered curses under his breath, and walked over to the door, fully intending to blast this person into oblivion. He opened the door, and stood there in stark silence.
"Are you going to say something?" inquired the dazzling blonde, "Or just stand there with your hand on your glasses?"
"Please leave." Scott barely managed to squeeze out those words. There she was - the woman who had the face of angel, and the rap sheet of a devil. Scott Summers couldn't even look her in the eye, because when he gazed into those blue orbs, he saw Jean behind them. They weren't Jean's perfect brown eyes (not that he could see any color besides shades of red), but he could see something dance in those pupils – the same dancing that he once saw in Jean's eyes.
"Scott… we need to talk, there's so much I need to tell you…"
"There is NOTHING I have to say to you. You're carrying the memories of someone I dearly loved… but that doesn't make you HER. You are Emma Frost. A Criminal. Jean… my Jean… is dead." Scott went to slam the door, but was stopped by the voice he heard in his head.
"Please Scott, let me speak with you…" Scott Summers froze entirely. His eyes grew wide, and then his knees almost buckled – sending him stumbling back into his room and onto his bed. That voice! It broke into his mind, and he recognized it immediately. It was the voice of Jean Grey – telepathically speaking to his mind – but it seemed, so much more powerful.
Clutching his head he stammered, "Don't… don't you dare do this you HEARTLESS BITCH!!!" Scott regained his footing and reached for his glasses. "If you ever use her voice again, I'll kill you. I swear it." Tears were coming down from under his ruby quartz lenses.
Emma Frost's eyes were welling up with tears of their own. "You heard HER voice because it's MINE now too. Jean has saved my life – she and I are in here sharing this body. Scott, I can't make sense of it. I don't know what's Jean and what's Emma. When I look in the mirror, I have to make an effort to recognize myself."
"Spare me the sob story Ms. Frost. But I lost my fiancé just TWO freaking weeks ago. I haven't even had time to say goodbye to her…"
"But I… SHE needs to speak with you. There is so much I have to tell you about what I was thinking, what I never got to say to you before Aikili Lake…"
"YOU WERE NEVER AT AIKILI LAKE!!! Jean was. You are Emma Frost – a criminal, a liar, and a professional terrorist. You know nothing about Jean Grey."
"You're wrong Scott. I am Emma Frost. I am a criminal, but…" Emma let loose all the tears and sobs she was holding back, "but Emma's evil mind is gone. I have Jean's memories… but so much more than that. I have her emotions, her mind… everything that made Jean… Jean. When I look at Emma through Jean's eyes… I hate myself. I hate Emma Frost. I can't stand the sight of her… but when I look into a mirror, that's who I see. The only thing I'm sure of is that I need you Scott Summers. I need to hear your voice, I need to tell you how much I love you… how much Jean loved you…"
"Those feelings aren't really yours. But don't think that Jean and I left anything unsaid. Jean and I spent an entire lifetime together in those last few seconds before the end…" Scott sat back down on the bed, and he didn't react when Emma pulled up a seat next to him. "Emma, Jean was the most loving human being I ever met, and I can't see her hating you… or anyone else."
"But she knows… I mean… I know what she would think of her…think of me… I mean… I don't know WHAT I mean. Jean's inside of me Scott. I think with HER voice. It's my mind's voice now. I have all of Emma's memories, and facts, but none of the emotions tied to them. I don't have all of Jean's facts, but I have her mind interpreting everything. This is going to sound weird but… I FEEL like Jean. I react to things like Jean would. I hate what she hates, like what likes, and love…"
"Don't say it Emma. It's not you. It's her." Scott finally brought himself to look at Emma Frost. This woman was stunningly gorgeous. He suppressed that thought because he felt it betrayed Jean.
"You're not betraying Jean if you think I'm pretty, Scott!"
"EMMA FROST, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO INVADE MY MIND!"
Before Scott could fly into a rage, Emma spoke in a tone that was eerily reminiscent of Jean Grey. "Since when did I have to read your mind to know what you're thinking Scott? (Pointing to her head) She's here Scott, and here (pointing to her heart). I know you'd think Emma was pretty, and I don't mind. Like I didn't mind you thinking Ororo was a 'bonafide hottie'."
The blood drained out of Scott's face. "You remember
that? Jean, you know I'd never look at
anyone else but you…"
"I know. You only loved me… I mean… her.
Damn, this is crazy. Maybe I'm
insane. But Scott Summers, (she reached
for his hand, and he didn't pull away) I'm not the monster that Emma Frost used
to be. I may look like her, but there
is more of Jean in me than Emma right now. (TELEPATHICALLY SPEAKING) And that's
why my mind's voice isn't Emma's voice.
It's Jean's. Mine."
Scott was floored. Every time he heard Jean's voice, his heart beat faster and faster. "This is going to be hard for both of us. I keep seeing Jean in you, and yet I have to remember that you're Emma."
"Call me Grace. I don't like Emma. I don't think with Emma Frost's mind anymore, even though I know everything about her. Deep down, I'm just not her anymore. Emma Frost died in England. I'm alive because Jean's mind saved my life. Are you ok with that?"
"It'll take some getting used to… but I'll try… Grace." Grace smiled at Scott, and it was Jean's smile. The way her lips curled, and the way that she tilted her head and her hair hang down to one side: It was pure Jean. Jean had indeed saved this woman, yet another parting good deed from the woman of his dreams. But was it Jean trying to connect with him again through Grace? Or was this Grace's idea? Scott wasn't sure yet who was really calling the shots in Frost's mind, but he liked the idea of having someone around who knows him the way Jean did. It was like the next best thing. "Let's go downstairs and get some…"
"Hot chocolate?"
"How'd you…?" Grace smiled and arched one of her eyebrows – just like Jean would. "Never mind. Just follow me."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
"It's nuts. Completely Freaking Nuts." Logan took one last drag of his cigarette. He set his beer down on the nightstand next to his bed. Ororo Munroe was pacing around the room, and Kurt Wagner sat on the floor with his legs crossed. "This Grace chick is runnin' around with Jeanie's mind. She walks like Jean, talks like Jean, acts like her… but it ain't her. It's spooky."
"Yes, I know Logan. You keep saying that." Ororo stopped and plopped herself down on the seat next to Logan, rather unceremoniously. "I feel like I've got my best friend back when I talk to this woman. The more I speak with her, the more I like her – but I know it's not her. At least, it's not who this woman originally was."
"But does any of that matter?" asked Logan. "I mean, I don't even have ALL of my own memories. So the man I am now, today, that's all that matters to me. Maybe I was a psycho killer in the past. Maybe I was a monster. I was definitely manufactured for something… sinister (looking down at his forearms). But that ain't me now, and I can't remember any of it. The difference is that this Grace lady can remember it all. That must be tougher than what I go through not knowing."
"So we just accept her like it's Jean?" Ororo wanted to run and hug this woman and love her with all her heart – but the fact that it was someone else's body just felt like a betrayal. "I mean, Jean transferred herself into Scott, and then the Professor transferred Jean into Emma Frost… so the question is… should we just treat her like Jean?"
"I think we should, unless she starts acting like Frost. I read Frost's file: manipulative, evil, conniving, promiscuous… although I don't mind the last one…" Logan smirked as he thought of the blonde woman.
Ororo smacked Logan on the arm, playfully. "Too bad for you that Jean is making her dress more like a real woman, and less like a five-dollar tramp."
"Fraulein, I think we are stepping around the BIG question." Kurt had been carefully pondering this situation, while the others discussed their feelings out loud. "Can you transfer a person's very soul, along with the information in their mind? Is that information, those facts… with all the emotions and everything else… is that what a person TOTALLY is? Because if it is… then this woman is Jean. But if there is more to us than just the data in our heads, if there is more than just the things we know, the things we feel… then this can't be Jean. This Grace has the right name. It was the grace of Jean, and the grace of the Professor, that has given her a new chance at life, because her life as Emma Frost was over."
"Look, Zigfried, I ain't going to argue about souls and stuff with you", Logan answered, "But this lady has everything that Jean let Cyclops have. From what Scott told me (everyone noticed Logan's use of the names 'Scott'), Jean didn't give him everything, but most of it. And now it's the engine running Grace, so to speak. Does that mean she has Jean's soul? Hell, I don't know if we even have souls!"
"I get what you're saying Kurt", Ororo got up from her seat and sat down on the floor next to her blue friend. She placed an arm around him. "Does it make you uncomfortable to be around her?"
"No, it doesn't. But I see you people wondering if it's Jean or not… but I am convinced that it isn't Jean. It may be an exact copy of Jean, but it still isn't REALLY Jean Grey. Jean's memories and emotions actually gives her an advantage over all of you… she knows you the way Jean did. But you do not know anything about the Emma Frost that is still hidden in there somewhere. And this Frost was a powerful telepath…"
"He's right Logan…" Ororo added, "Emma Frost was the second most powerful KNOWN telepath on earth. What if she had some kind of psychic backdoor or something to protect herself? Could 'Grace' be playing us into thinking she's Jean?"
"Hmmmm… I thought of that", said Logan. "But the truth is that she's a powerful telepath, so she could be monitoring this conversation. The only real defense against her is Chuck, and yesterday he TOLD me that he's been monitoring all telepathic activity in the mansion. If this woman uses her powers, he'll know."
"That's comforting, I guess." Ororo planted a kiss on Kurt Wagner's right cheek, which startled the blue mutant. "I'm going to my room guys, Goodnight Kurt, goodnight Logan." She placed a peck on Logan's cheek, but decidedly less conspicuous than Kurt's kiss. The ebony goddess lithely walked out the door, leaving a blushing blue mutant and a half-drunk mutant sitting in silence.
"She really likes you Ziggy", Logan smirked as he took another drag from his cigarette and put it out. He would have lit up one of his cigars, but decided not to waste it. "I can tell. She don't kiss nobody like that."
"I do not know what you are speaking about. We are just having a good friendship. I do not want anything else." Even Kurt was having a hard time believing that. He was aching every time he was near Ororo. The woman sent his heart fluttering by merely entering a room. The fact that she occasionally showed him some affection was almost too much for him.
"Yeah right. Whatever. Must be me makin' stuff up." Logan drained the beer can of its last contents. "Bet that tail of yours could come in REAL handy if you two ever…"
"DO NOT SAY ANOTHER WORD LOGAN!" Kurt got up from the floor and made his way to the door. "I do not try to think of her in that way. She has shown me kindness and compassion, and I am grateful to just enjoy her company. Good night… and my name is not Zigfried."
"Goodnight, Kurt", Logan listens for the door to close behind him. "Heh-heh, yeah, he wants to do her… but he's got no game." Logan got up from his chair, and decided to leave his room. He made his way down the hallway, and winced as he caught the faintest sounds of teens making out in their rooms. "Man, that better not be Marie", he thought. When he mulled the thought over, his face contorted into a feral grimace, and he went up stairs to where Marie shared a room with some other girls. His heightened senses picked up Marie's scent behind the door, and he could faintly hear her sleeping. As he turned to leave, he spied Bobby Drake trying to look inconspicuously as he made his way toward the girls' room. Because Logan was in a darkened part of the hallway, Bobby hadn't noticed him yet. Logan waited until the young man was nearing Marie's door, and then cleared his throat, "Ahem… may I help you kid?"
Bobby looked like he had just seen a ghost, or maybe he would BECOME a ghost very, very soon. His eyes grew wide, and his breath was ragged. "Lo… Lo… Logan", he sputtered, "I was just on my way to… MY OWN room… and I… ummm… got lost. You know… all the stress of the last few days…"
"Kid, I understand your need to uhhh… RELIEVE STRESS…", Logan smiled a wide toothy grin, that somehow brought NO comfort to Bobby Drake, "but if I catch you trying to relieve YOURSELF with Marie… well… I'll let your imagination run wild with that one." *SCHUNK* Logan popped one of his claws. He pointed down the hallway. "Your room is that way, on the next floor DOWN." Bobby didn't even protest, or remind Logan that Marie was his girlfriend, or anything else that might get him eviscerated. He just broke into an outright sprint and disappeared down the hallway. Logan was about to leave, when he heard Marie's door open.
"Logan, what are you doing here?" the sleepy teen asked. Marie looked beautiful even with her hair undone. She looked like a small child in her pajamas, the picture of innocence, mixed with a seductive beauty that only adolescence could produce.
"Just checking up on you kid. Were you EXPECTING some company tonight?" Logan watched as the girl honestly shook her head 'no'. His heart began beating again once he was sure that Bobby's midnight romp was not Marie's idea. He could sense if people's heart rate and breathing, and even their body temperature, would adjust to lying. He didn't sense any such shift in his favorite mutant girl.
"Logan, can we talk… just you and me… if you have time, I mean?" Marie asked. Logan nodded in affirmation. There is no way he was letting this chance to have some quality time with Marie slip away. "Why don't we go to the student lounge, noone will be there at this time of night." Logan waited for the girl to get reasonably dressed, and walked with her downstairs to the main lobby.
They rounded the corner of the staircase, and walked past the main offices, the academic lecture halls, and went over to the recreational area. Few students were present, but the couples who were there suddenly got into their best behavior. A few boy-girl pairs decided to call it a night when they saw Logan enter the room. Logan and Marie found some comfortable seats, and waited in silence for a few seconds. Logan finally spoke up. "What's up kid."
"Well", Marie looked pensive, "It's this blonde lady. She sounds so much like Jean, it's scary. Some of the other kids have seen her walking around yesterday, and I actually spoke with her. Logan, it freaked me out. The way she talked, she even used expressions that Jean would use."
"I know. Even the way she looks away while she's thinking, tilts her head down, and smiles that shy smile… it's Jean in there. Call her Grace. That's Emma's middle name."
"Yeah, Bobby told me. But he told me she was a…" Marie blushed.
"A slut-bag?" Logan smiled a bit as he said it. "Yeah, she was a real piece of a… I mean, a real piece of work. I suspect that the Jean in her has put that side of her personality in check. If not, all you girls had better hold on tight to your boyfriends."
"Logan", Marie grabbed Logan's hand gently and looked directly into the older man's eyes, "how do you feel about Bobby? I mean, do you like him?"
"Yeah, I think he's a good kid… not like that John geek", Logan answered.
Marie shifted in her seat. "Logan, what if I told you I don't know if I like Bobby as much as I TRY to like him? I like him a lot, but lately I've spent more energy TRYING to like him more that I actually do. It's like, I've hit a wall with him, and I can't get past it."
"Darling, I know how you feel. Sometimes, we get so used to people, that they almost become… well… boring. I think that's how Jean was with Scooter when I came along last year. She loved him, but I presented a diversion. It was easy for her to take for granted that Scott would always be there for her. But you know what?"
"What?"
"You have to cherish the time you have with people, right here and now. You will not ALWAYS have them around. Parents die, kids move away, everything changes… so you have to love people today… right now. Don't expect the fireworks to always be there, as long as the embers are still burning underneath it all. If you really love this Bobby Drake, or like him, then think about what made you like him in the first place. If it's stuff that hasn't changed, then ask yourself what it is that you are really looking for right now."
"Wow… you're so… much deeper than anyone gives you credit for, did you know that?" Marie giggled a little, but she knew he was right. Logan was telling her to look at herself, not Bobby Drake. The two mutants spent the rest of two hours just talking and catching up on all aspects of their lives. They hadn't had this kind of bonding time since Logan got back, and it was great to just pretend that the world's problems didn't exist – even if it was just for a short time. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, and he let her do so. Logan thanked whatever God was listening that he met Marie. She balanced him in way that noone else did. If he ever thought he had any paternal instincts, they shined whenever he got around her. SHE was the reason that he risked his life with the X-Men. It was for her, and all other children, that gave him the strength for the coming fight – a fight he knew was coming. And he knew that he had to win, for his sake, her sake, and the sake of all children sleeping quietly next to their parents in every corner of the world.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The rumbling sound of helicopter rotor blades cannot be drowned out, no matter how long you listen to them. Unlike the noise of raindrops at night, or traffic outside your window, helicopter rotors just have a way of ALWAYS standing out. Peter Lyman was accustomed to the noise, unlike some of his charges. The massive Turk, looking pensive as he was checking over his equipment, noticed the Lieutenant re-reading his mission dossier. "You think we missed something back at the briefing?"
"No, I'm just memorizing the layout of the place. I was there once before, and I don't want to have the same results – four dead, seven seriously wounded."
"Yeah", Turk agreed, "But this time we go in hot. Captain America is going to stick his foot up their mutant asses and break it off. Gives me the warm fuzzies."
"I know… we got the tools this time, armor, shielding, anti-psi weapons… hell even the air support. But this is an extraction, not an alpha-strike. Remember, we terminate with extreme prejudice… and WE WILL BE GIVING THEM A CHANCE TO SURRENDER."
"I still can't believe that, sir. No offense, but I think we need to pepper that place with Tomahawks before we go in there."
"And those cruise missiles will kill everyone before we can get our target. The CLS (Cerebro Locator Sensor) satellite will be over the area in 0900 hours, and that's when we strike. We're not going in there blind, and we're not giving any of the mental mutants any chance to stop us."
"And what about the others?" Turk asked, "Even without telepaths, they still pack plenty of firepower."
Lyman smiled. "Yeah, I'm glad they already thought of that." He looked at the enhanced XM-29 'Pulse Rifle'. The XM-29 is also called the OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon), and is being developed as part of the U.S. Army's current Land Warrior system. OICW gives the infantry soldier a capability to acquire targets and precisely detonate an air bursting 20mm projectile approximately 1 meter over the threat. It can also detonate on impact. A six-round magazine in the butt of the rifle holds the HE rounds. The 20 mm round has a dual warhead, which makes it lethal on both sides and gives complete coverage when it explodes.
The OICW has a window mode that can be used to reach the enemy inside a building. A normal round will explode upon impact of a window, limiting its destructive power. In the window mode, once the round strikes the window it delays exploding by a few milliseconds, so the lethal area is increased inside a room. The round can also go through thin metal with the same effect. The sight of the OICW uses Direct View Optics with Video Enhancements. The Direct View Optics is similar to looking at a television screen. The image can be magnified three times and will include an electronic compass on the screen. Lyman looked at the rifle, which had been modified to fire adamantium laced ammo. Their own adamantium/ Kevlar weave was probably the only body armor in existence that would withstand a direct hit from these rifles. He almost felt sorry for the mutants about to be attacked. Almost. These were the ones that cost the lives of his men back at the Aikili Lake. These were the ones who built the Cerebro device that wreaked worldwide death and havoc. These were the X-Men… and they were going down tomorrow morning.
That was the plan… and it was good.