The Effects of Hope
Chapter Three
By Lily Handle
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Author's Note: This chapter covers what remains of Recovery and some of The Stuff of Heroes. I'm glad everyone likes this idea. I was worried about writing my character into actual episodes. All that's left is what remains of The Stuff of Heroes and a little bit of Mainstream. Of course that means I have to start the sequel to A New Hope, which I still have absolutely no inspiration for. Sigh, being a popular writer is such a hard life.
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Hope opened the door to the limo, stepped outside and a hush fell over the crowd. Then, like an army moving in to attack, the news cameras rushed forward and the questions came flying like bullets.
"Dr. Chandler, where have you been?"
"Dr. Chandler can you tell us what had been going on here?"
"Are you one of them?" Hope straightened her shoulders and started to push her way through the crowd of reporters.
"Dr. Chandler," A woman with a microphone and camera stepped right in her path and Hope reared back before she slammed into them. "What can you tell us about what really goes on behind these walls?" Hope grabbed the lenses of the camera and glared at the woman.
"If you don't get these cameras out of my face, my father will buy your station and I will make sure you and your camera man are laid off." She whirled on the cameras behind her, "That goes for all of you, if you don't get your cameras off me and leave the grounds now, I'll make sure you never see the inside of another news station again!" The whole crowd murmured, some of the cameras lowered, but most of the news crews stayed where they were. Hope pushed the camera away from her, storming towards the gates to the Institute. A reporter grabbed Hope's shoulder, she spun around, and held up her hand to ward the cameras off. They whole crowd gasped as bolts of her power raced between her fingers.
"I'm telling you to leave, and leave now, before you lose your jobs." She hadn't meant to use her powers like that, but it was more effective than her words, the whole crowd reared back. She closed her hand in a fist, calling the power back into her. Before she could lose control she turned back towards the gate and watched the crowd part for her.
"She is one of them," the whispers came and Hope felt something like shame wash over her. She felt more ashamed that she was feeling ashamed at that the idea that people knew. Was this what the students felt like day to day? She wondered, without an accepting environment is that how the students would feel? She felt like she had a guilty secrete that now everyone knew about. She frowned as two soldiers stopped her at the gate.
"You can't enter miss," said the solider on the right.
"This area is quartered off," the left one said.
"My name is Doctor Hope Chandler," She said, holding up her driver's licenses, "I work here and I would like to pass." The soldiers exchanged glances, then took her driver's licenses and examined it.
"Let us check with our superior, miss," the right soldier said ducking through the crumpled opening of the gate, leaving Hope with the left soldier. The camera crews were starting to make noise again, undoubtedly they were reporting that she had been found, and found out. It shouldn't bother me, Hope thought, listening to the voices behind her. It's not like there's anything wrong with being a mutant, it's a genetic anomaly, nothing more, nothing less, she thought as the right soldier returned.
"You've been cleared to enter, Doctor." Hope frowned again, the tone the soldier had used made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. An early warning sign, on top of her little show to the news crews, Hope felt like she was right on the edge of control. She couldn't loose control, it would probably get her dragged off to where Hank was taken. Not that it wouldn't be a relief to see Hank, but Hope couldn't help in an escape, which she could bet was being planed. She followed the pair of soldiers through the gate, grateful to get away from the news crews, but as soon as she saw the damage to the grounds she stopped dead. The careful landscaping was completely destroyed, furrows were dug into the ground, and dotting the land were smoldering car wrecks. She also felt the full impact of seeing the destroyed Institute, like when her brother's prized polo pony had kicked her in the chest, breaking most of her ribs. It hurt to breathe, hurt to look at the crumbled walls, and broken glass. The place that had become her home was lying in ruin, was there a more disturbing sight? Suddenly she felt hands at her wrist, and looked over her shoulder to see the soldiers were clamping handcuffs on her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, trying to twist away from their hold.
"Just come peacefully ma'am," said the right soldier, his hand tightening painfully on Hope's arm.
"Please, let me go," Hope begged, struggling to break free, "You have to let me go."
"Dr. Chandler," Another soldier, this one looked like the other soldiers superior, "My name is Lieutenant Johnson, what we're doing is for the publics safety."
"I'm not a threat," Hope said through gritted teeth, "I just want to know what happened to my friends."
"So, you're friends with the mutants," the Lieutenant said, "I thought as much, contact Area 51, tell them we have another one."
"What? Area 51?" Hope shook her head, "You can't take me there, I haven't done anything wrong."
"You might be involved in a possible terrorist threat, until you're cleared Doctor you need to be kept under lock and key." Hope glared at Lieutenant Johnson and pulled harder against the soldier's hold.
"Sir, we can't reach Area 51, they seem to have entered a lock down."
"Lock down?" Lieutenant Johnson glared at Hope, as if the whole thing was her fault, "Find out what's going on there. In the mean time, bring the Doctor to the main tent." The soldiers behind Hope pushed her forward and she took a few stumbling steps forwards before tripping and landing on her side. The soldiers yanked her to her feet and pushed her forward towards a gathering of tents and military vehicles. She had liked the American military before this, but now she was not going to vote for defense budget increases. She kept struggling slightly, which did nothing by make the soldiers hold tighter and push her roughly into a tent.
"Have a seat," Lieutenant Johnson said, and Hope was shoved into a stool and the soldiers kept their hands on her shoulders. "Your friends are currently costing the government lots of money." The Lieutenant held out a portable television, showing an over head shot of a military base, and the unmistakable silhouette of the Velocity helicopter.
"They've escaped," Hope sighed in relief.
"Yes, they have, and Doctor I think this could be beneficial to both of us. Where would they go, if they couldn't come here?"
"You honestly think I'm going to rat out my…"
"Lieutenant, we have a sighting, a conveyance store outside of town," A soldier said, sticking his head inside the tent.
"Well, Doctor, looks like we're going to get an answer from your friends soon enough. Can you get me a picture?"
"Yes sir," The soldier took out his own portable television screen and craning her neck to see, Hope was just able to see a corner of the screen, "This is from a soldier's goggles, sir." All it showed was a mass of white clouds, and then Logan leapt through the clouds and the camera went to static. Oh great, Hope thought, I still don't know where they are. With my hands free I could call Logan or Hank or Ororo and maybe get some help, but I'd also give them away. Hope watched as the Lieutenant turned back towards her with a growl and a glare. She could tell she was in trouble.
"Maybe when your friends hear we have you, they'll turn themselves in peacefully." Lieutenant Johnson turned back towards the solider who had come in with the news about Logan, "Get a news crew, we'll broadcast live and see if we can't draw those freaks out! And when they get here, if they don't surrender, handle them with extreme force."
"Lieutenant Johnson," A man stepped inside, his hair ash gray, and an eye patch.
"Fury," Johnson growled, "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't suppose to be involved with this."
"Well, we're taking control, my men will be taking the Doctor here," Two men in blue uniform ducked into the tent, and the soldiers holding her shoulders stepped back letting the new soldiers stand behind Hope.
"Any mutants you catch, Lieutenant call this number and S.H.I.E.L.D will take them from you," Fury said, stepping aside from the door, "If you men will escort the doctor to the helicopter, and treat her gently."
"Could you please get to your feet ma'am," One of the soldiers said and Hope slowly rose to her feet.
"How'd you get involved with this Fury?" Hope heard the Lieutenant growled as she was lead out of the tent towards a black helicopter with while bold letters reading S.H.I.E.L.D. on the side. Hope wasn't able to hear what Fury said in reply as the blades of the helicopter started to warm up, drowning out all noise. Hope carefully climbed inside the helicopter with the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldier's help, she was being strapped in when the news crews parted and the first fleet of hummers started out from the Institute. If Logan is on his motorcycle he could get away from those hummers, Hope thought, but what about the students, where were they? A head set was placed around her head, two soldiers sat on either side of her, and even though the blades were at full power. They were waiting for someone, Hope realized, as they sat there. It wasn't until Fury strode out of the tent, an angry Lieutenant Johnson followed him, yelling. One of the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers stepped between Fury and Johnson, and Fury hopped into the helicopter. He put on his own head set as the helicopter lifted off the ground.
"Doctor Chandler," Fury said through the headset, "I'm a friend."
"Where are we going?" Hope asked, hoping the headset worked without having the press anything to talk.
"A S.H.I.E.L.D airship," Fury answered, "You'll be given a chance to wash up, eat if your hungry and wait this out."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Like I said, I'm a friend." Fury took off his headset and Hope's was removed. The helicopter was in the clouds, still rising straight up from the ground. When it broke through the cloud cover a ship straight out of a science fiction movie was hovering, suspended in air. It was shaped like a sailing ship, with a huge curved hull, and four huge engines that looked like a mix between a jet engine and a helicopter blade. There were other helicopter blades dotted around the outside of the ship. It was an amazing sight, but Hope didn't like the look of three attack helicopters continually hovering around the massive ship. The helicopter she was in ducked under the ship, where the hull was open. The helicopter slowly rose inside, hovered as two huge doors slide closed underneath it. The helicopter landed and the soldier on Hope's right pulled her out, leading her away from the helicopter and down a metal hallway. She was led through a twisting maze of hallways, where every door looked the same, until they reached the end of a brightly light one and a silver door. It slid open and revealed a large sitting room with a large curved window showing the view the airship had. The soldiers undid the handcuffs and stepped back.
"This is where you can wait, Doctor," the solider on the right said, "Is there anything you'd like?"
"Uh, no, no thank you." Hope rubbed her wrist dully looking around her, what the heck was going on?
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Author's Note: My beta made the comment that I'm becoming a cliffhanger addict, and I think she's right. Well, sorry to leave you hanging, but I like doing it. Please read and review.