The Effects of Hope
Chapter Two
By: Lily Handle
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Author's Note: Okay, left you hanging with the last part, I had to, I like cliffhangers and nail bitters. Good news is I'll be able to get chapters out much quicker now with my beta out of school, and I think I'm getting over my writer's block for a sequel to A New Hope. Oh, also, when I finish this little part I'll move on to writing a romantic piece between Logan and Hope, it's my beta's birthday gift. Please enjoy, read and review.
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Hope sat in the luxurious corporate jet of Chandler Shipping tapping an impatient foot as she flipped through news channels, "Destroyed a gigantic robot using their super human powers."
"Why? Where are they from? Government investigators are looking…"
"Rest assured we're doing everything in our power to get to the bottom of this."
"What's your take Senator? Are they men or monsters, and if they are human can we trust them?"
"Alien invaders or, or some kind of strange mutations?" Hope turned the television off, she'd missed most of the battle on the drive to airport, and the radio stations in the city where the battle was were inactive. A technical difficultly they believed was due to magnetic interference. Hope believed Magneto was involved, which only raised the level of urgency she felt. She couldn't reach anyone through the X-phone either, which was almost too much for her. She needed to know if everyone was okay, the news was more worried about how the threat the X-men posed and not how they faired. It was obvious to Hope through the clips she'd seen that the X-men were defending themselves. She drummed her fingers on the arm of her seat, her foot hadn't stopped tapping since she'd sat down and she was filled with nervous energy.
"Pilot," Hope said getting to her feet, "What's taking so long?" She poked her head into cockpit where the pilots were playing with the little dials and talk tersely over the radio.
"Bayville airport has been closed, something about a terrorist threat," The co-pilot said, turning and looking over his shoulder, "We can't get a straight answer out of them."
"We need to get the Bayville as quickly as possible, is there another air port you can land at?"
"There's the Bayside airport, which is only a hours flight from here," the pilot said, drawing up a map, "But to get to Bayville it's a three hour drive."
Hope sighed, it was better than circling above Bayville airport until they were allowed to land, "Alright, contact Bayside and see if you can get us a runway, and call a limo service, make sure they have television." Hope sighed and sat back down, she had no choice but to wait. She started to flip through the channels again, maybe some news channel wasn't talking about the giant robot attack, and instead were talking about this supposed terrorist threat at Bayville. Everything is about the robot, Hope thought, as image after image of the X-men, the Brotherhood and the giant robot flashed by. Her finger suddenly stopped and the remote tumbled from her hand as the image of the Institute laying in ruins flashed on screen.
"In other news," A reporter's voice over said while a news copter circled over what remained of the Institute, "The Xavier Institute, a local boarding school, was the scene of another mutant attack on authorities." The image of the Institute cut quickly to the police, SWAT and soldiers storming the Institute and the X-men and Brotherhood. Hope felt the hair on the back of her neck rise, her skin seemed to come alive and a few bolts of her power escaped. Hope quickly turned the television off, and dropped her head into her hands. Control it, she chanted to herself, control it. Fear, if someone would try to hurt her, and exhaustion would make her lose control of her powers, which no one was sure exactly what it was. They had thought she might have electrical powers like Berserker but when they had hooked her up to a voltmeter she hadn't even been able to produce one watt. Yet she could send Logan into unconsciousness for two full minutes. So, it looked like electricity, but it didn't act like or register like electricity. Hope sighed; she needed to think of something else for the time being. Her family wasn't going to like her sudden departure; most likely her mother would call, complain that she never visits and Hope would make some promise about visiting soon. Her schedule at the Institute was always up in the air, Hope felt her hair start to stand on end and stopped thinking about the Institute.
"Ms. Chandler, we've been cleared to land in Bayside," the pilot announced, "We've also reached a limo service for you."
Hope straightened in her seat, "Thank you, sir," she called over her shoulder. "How long before we land?"
"All planes are being redirected to Bayside, we got in before the rush, but it's become a two hour flight instead of one."
"Alright, thank you." Hope pulled out her phone, flipped it open and dialed the X-jet. Nothing. She then tried the Velocity. Nothing. She went through the whole list of instructors. Nothing. There was no point in calling the Institute, it was nothing but rubble, and if it wasn't for the news clips Hope would have thought everyone was dead. It was a slight relief to know everyone was marginally alright, but she had a feeling that until she preformed a complete physical exam on everyone her heart would stop beating so rapidly. Hope had never been a good worrier, in the fast paced world of the trauma center she hadn't had a chance to worry, she had to think quickly and worry later when the patient was in ICU, but now without something for her to do, she worried. Her mother had the same problem, but her mother didn't have to control incredible mutant powers. Hope looked back down at her phone, where was everyone?
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When she landed at Bayside airport the limo was waiting right by the runway. "How does the traffic look?" She asked a driver as she ran towards the limo.
"Inbound isn't long at all, out bound though, that's another story," The driver said through a thick New York accent.
"Good, take me to Bayville."
"Uh miss, I'm not going in there," The drive said standing by the passenger side door, "Those mutants are in there."
"How much are you being paid to take me where I want to go?" Hope asked tapping an impatient foot.
"About thirty five dollars," the driver replied.
"If you take me to Bayville and the Xavier Institute, I will give you two hundred." Hope watched the driver's eyes go wide and he opened the door for her. Hope ducked inside and slid into the soft leather interior. Her father had taught her that money got you many things, while it was not always respect or happiness, it got people to listen to you. Two hundred for a limo ride was nothing, practically pocket change for the Chandler family, but it would make the limo driver's day. Hope glanced around, looking for the controls to the flat plasma screen television that was framed between two seat across from her. She'd been in enough limos in her time to know where to look for the limos amenities. She gave a triumphant ha when she spotted the remote and quickly started to flip through the channels.
A clip of the robot battle took over the television as soon as Hope turned it on, "Frightened citizens flee in terror…" Hope growled in frustration she didn't want news about innocent bystanders just yet.
Channel three had Kitty's face playing, "Now positively identified as Kitty Pryde, a high school sophomore at Bayville High."
"Oh no," Hope whispered, "They know."
She quickly started to flip through the channels, and stopped on Jean, "The daughter of Professor and Mrs. John Grey of Anund…"
Next she found Evan shooting bone spikes, "Evan Daniels, a recent transfer to Bayville from P.S. 104."
"No," Hope said, gasped, watching Logan being carried on a stretcher.
"Who are they," The reported said, "Flesh and blood or some kind of mutant monsters?" Logan was loaded into the back of a truck by soldiers, then they switched to Blob, who had a mass of soldiers trying to figure out how to move him, "Are we being invaded by alien beings?"
"Hank!" Hope gasped watching as Hank, Rogue and Evan were loaded into a truck, all encased in a green goo that looked like hardened lime jell-o.
"A special report tonight examines the…" Hope quickly changed the channel to see if any other channel had something on what happened to Logan, Hank and the others.
She stopped when the ruble of the Institute was on screen, "Refused to comment on the rumors that the entire student body of the mysterious Xavier Institute for Gifted…"
Hope changed the channel again, "And though classmates at Bayville High report seeing many examples of strange phenomena," A new reporter said as Bayville High was slowly paned over by a news copter, "Principal Edward Kelly cautions everyone to not over react. Wait, we're getting word that something is going on at the Pentagon, yes, it's a news conference. Let's see what they are saying."
A man in uniform showed up on the screen, "And I promise we'll bring you more information on the captive mutants the moment it becomes available." God, when it becomes available in government talk meant a day or two, probably a week was more accurate. Hope sighed, it looked the questioning was starting, no more answers than before, so Hope changed the channel.
"Neighbor versus neighbor, friend against friend, entire families afraid to step outside their doors for fear of the mutant menace." Pure propaganda, Hope thought, nothing for worth. She changed the channel again, this time the President was on the television, looking serious and grim.
"My fellow Americans, this is a time for gathering facts, not finger pointing. Not turning against one another. As your President, I urge you, above all, stay calm." Hope tossed the remote away and the channel changed again.
"While most of the students of the Xavier Institute have been identified and spotted from the robot battle, one member of the Institute is still missing." Hope watched her own face flash onto the screen, "Dr. Hope Chandler, the Institute's staff nurse is missing. There is no word on her whereabouts." With a disgusted sigh Hope turned the remote off. She'd forgotten that the news was often more of a hindrance than a help. Her parents weren't going to be happy if they saw the news report. Hope looked out the window instead, the streets were empty, undoubtedly fear had driven everyone inside. This was what her work was trying to prevent, of course if anyone had read her work they still wouldn't understand. Maybe, Hope thought, Charles was wrong. Look at how the senseless bigotry of African Americans has continued for years with no reason other than the color of their skin, Hope mused, drumming her fingers on the arm rest.
"Driver, how much longer?" She asked, turning to look at the back of the man's head.
"Uh, not much, just uh, you work at that mutant place?"
"Yes," Hope rolled her eyes.
"So, uh, you're one of them?" Hope didn't dignify that with an answer. She pressed the button and raised the divider between them. She had made up her mind, she may be afraid, and lord was she ever afraid. Her friend was in the hands of the government, the students she had come to care for were being hunted, and she had no contact with anyone, she was certainly right to be afraid, but she was going to handle this like a trauma, do what needs to be done, now and worry later.
"Oh, I'd sure like to whine right now," Hope sighed, "I wish Hank was here. Or Ororo, some one with an idea of how to handle this." The limo slowed gradually as it got farther and farther into Bayville. More and more military vehicles and soldiers appeared, leaving Hope nervously drumming her fingers, one of her worst habits. Her powers weren't over reacting though, which was a good sign. If she lost control she'd end up with Hank and Logan. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad, Hope thought as they drew up outside the Institute. It was completely surrounded by two types of vehicles. You were either news or military, and the limo stood out like a sore thumb. Hope watched the cameras swing towards her with a sigh, well show time.
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Author's Note: Once again, I'm trying for a cliffhanger. I know you people hate them, but I really just want the next chapter to start with Hope's dealings with the Institute's destruction. Also, this is a mix of Day of Reckoning 2 and Day of Recovery. Most of Reckoning 2 is the fight with the Sentinel, and then Recovery had a lot of news clips, which is fodder for the Hope scenes, and the rest is rescuing the others. But there's a little of Recovery in the next part too, which will also cover the Stuff of Heroes. Sigh, it's all so confusing.