Pietro sat down next to Lance and looked at Xavier expectantly. Xavier scanned his eyes through a page long report before looking up at Pietro. "Welcome home," he said warmly, extending his hand, which Pietro shook.
"It's good to be back," Pietro said with a small grin. Xavier leaned back in his chair, suddenly all business.
"I've seen all the reports of what occurred at the Hydra facility in Russia. The only person who hasn't been debriefed and submitted a report is you, Pietro. I wanted to hear your report face-to-face."
Pietro was silent for a while, gathering his thoughts before he began to speak. "My last memory, before I met Lance in the Hydra facility, was in Genoa. I remember fighting Cain, and I remember just getting to the escape pod. I thought I was dying, and I lost consciousness. While I was asleep I had some fleeting dreams of a dark chamber, a metal bed, men standing over me in white coats with needles and it seems real to me, but I can't be sure. It could just have been a dream."
Xavier nodded as Pietro related his story to him. When Pietro finished, Xavier steepled his fingers. "So you don't remember anything that happened in the Hydra facility?"
"The first real memory I have of the facility is meeting Lance in the remains of the laboratory. I don't remember arriving there, or anything else."
"This is a report that we received during the time you were in the Hydra facility," Xavier handed Pietro a sheet, which he read quickly, before looking back at Xavier.
"This says that I was involved in an assassination." Xavier nodded. "That's impossible. I've never been to this place in Russia before, and I've certainly never killed an innocent girl. You know I gave up assassinations when I joined Excalibur."
"I know that, but eye-witness reports said that it was you. Have you got any idea how this might have been possible?"
"No. I don't remember ever being there or doing that, but the reports don't lie. Could it have been that I had my memory altered?" Pietro suggested.
"I wondered if that could have been the case, and so I asked the Excalibur psycho-analysis team to examine you. Their reports indicate that your memory is pretty much intact - no artificial memory alteration has occurred."
"Then I am at a loss to explain the reports," Pietro said, shaking his head. "It could simply have been someone disguised as me."
"If it was they must have been surgically altered to look like you, the likeness was so similar. That is not an impossible explanation, but it is an unlikely one. Still, the psycho-analysis and medical teams have both declared you fit, so I suggest you return home and get some rest and recovery. You'll need to return for a check-up in three days time, but until then you can stay at home." Pietro got to his feet, shook hands with Xavier and Lance before leaving. Lance waited for him to close the door before speaking.
"You don't trust him." His tone was not accusatory, but factual.
"No," Xavier agreed. "Something really doesn't feel right about this whole affair. Your own report and the report of the eye-witnesses at the assassination would appear to indicate that there is something going on that we are unaware of. But there was no evidence of anyone else who could have been mistaken for Pietro in the Hydra facility, and Forge has assured me that there was nothing wrong with Pietro physically or mentally. It is possible that he was administered some kind of drug, which allowed Hydra to control him, but if that did happen then there is no trace of it. We will keep Pietro under serveillance for some time to see if there are any lingering effects of his time with Hydra. I want you to be in charge of the team that will respond to any emergencies relating to Pietro."
"Me?" Lance said in surprise.
"You have probably the best experience of dealing with Pietro, and this knowledge could become invaluable should Pietro display any signs of being under the control of Hydra. Here is all the information you will need." Xavier handed Lance a file, which Lance took before standing. "I suggest that you get some rest as well. If anything happens, you'll get a call." Lance nodded and left Xavier's study, leaving the man staring at his opposite wall, deep in contemplation.
Pietro walked through London, staring wide-eyed at buildings he knew he'd seen before, yet somehow it was like he was seeing everything for the first time again. The surging crowd of people pushed past him, often barging into him and glancing at him with annoyance. Pietro ignored these people, content to follow where his feet took him, not realising that he was walking a route he had used many times before.
When he reached the docks around the Thames, he stared at the river in wonder. He knew he'd seen it before - he'd lived in London practically all his life - yet he couldn't remember ever having seen it. It was highly disconcerting and annoying, like when you know you know the answer to the question, but the word just refuses to come to mind.
The Excalibur agent that had been dispatched to watch Pietro was a young woman by the name of Rhane Sinclair, who was on her first real mission alone. She was about to report back to base, when a sudden noise behind her made her jump. Turning to see what had made the noise, she saw a vision that looked as though it had come from hell itself. She was about to scream when a hand was clamped over her mouth and she felt several inches of cold steel puncture her chest and punch into her heart. She jerked suddenly, blood dribbling from her mouth, before the hand holding her upright released its grip and she collapsed to the floor.
At Excalibur headquarters, a flashing light on one of the control panels attracted Forge's attention. Frowning, he sat down at the panel determined to try and fix whatever was wrong with it, before realising what it meant. Cursing, he leapt to his feet and ran out of the control room to speak to Xavier. The agent watching Pietro was dead, which could well mean that Pietro was still under Hydra control.
Kitty picked up her two bags from the luggage carousel and walked slowly through the departures gate. The trip she had been on with Remy and Rogue had been great - the hotel had been five star, the weather had been excellent and the scenery amazing - but she hadn't enjoyed a single minute of it. All she could keep thinking about was the fact that she was never going to see Pietro again.
His death had been a terrible blow to her and she had never really recovered from it, despite the brave face she put on when she met her friends. Sometimes she still woke up expecting him to be lying next to her before remembering that he was dead. Outside Heathrow airport she got into a taxi and directed it to take her back to her apartment. She stared out of the window at the buildings that flashed past, but all she could think about was Pietro.
Pietro found himself in a construction site - it was empty today, obviously the worker's day off - that was next to the river. He walked across the dirty ground until he reached the water's edge and looked out across the river, wondering what exactly had happened to him after Genoa. Had Hydra been able to control him somehow, to make him carry out that assassination? Was he a time bomb waiting to go off when Hydra chose? It would be a fitting act of revenge.
Pietro turned to leave the area, but when he turned around he saw something that shocked him to the core. Standing opposite him was a person who looked just like him, except that he was missing a hand, and he was covered in blood and grime. There was a long-bladed knife in his hand, slick with fresh blood, and his eyes were filled with the light of madness.
As he looked at the man, suddenly understanding dawned on Pietro of how the eye-witnesses at the assassination could have been fooled. Somehow, Hydra had created a look-a-like of him, and used him for their missions.
"I've been waiting to find you for a long time," the look-a-like said. Amazingly his voice sounded identical to Pietro's own voice. "I've been waiting to wipe you off the face of the earth, to destroy the imperfections you represent!"
"What are you talking about?" Pietro asked, taken aback by the hatred he detected in the voice of a man he had never met before.
"The time for talking is over!" the other Pietro ignored his question. "I have hunted you all the way from Russia, and now it is time for my revenge."
Author's Note: Thank you all for your reviews - don't worry Karakin, it's not over yet, I just wanted to get the story moving a bit faster. The reunion with Kitty will be coming up soon JC, although it's funny you should mention killing off more people... chapter 15 will be up as soon as possible, until then keep reading, reviewing and enjoying!