Goofn1: Poor Hawk, indeed. Glad you like the new names. There's some more Lance in this chapter for you... just for you... Creepy, ain't I?
Chapter 6: A Talk or Few
"You have five seconds to tell us what you want," growled Althea. "And it started four seconds ago."
The Misfits and X-Men prepared themselves to launch an attack.
Destro quickly began to explain.
"Yesterday, we were minding our own business, trying to take over the world, when there was this big flash of light that blinded us all."
The three time travelers paled slightly.
"When it had faded, Zartan was standing there with some people. Only, it wasn't Zartan. Or it was. He said they came from the future. Then, they attacked us. We scattered, of course. Now, for all I know, he's in charge of COBRA, and he's plotting against us all!"
"What does that have to do with us?" asked Todd.
Quake told the group, "Zartan is the leader of the President's military. If he got his hands on the time device, it means he was impersonating one of the people we left behind. And now, it seems he's here."
Then XI gave an evil smile. "Which means he's stuck here for the next twenty years," he added. The others looked at him in confusion. "The device only sends people back," he explained. "It can't bring them forward."
Destro shrugged this off. "Better the enemy you know than the one you don't, right?" he asked hopefully. "With this future Zartan in charge, none of us knows what can happen!"
"You'll need to talk to the adults," Scott told him.
"Destro actually came to us for help? Destro?"
Hawk's disbelief was clear through the link. Block stepped into view next to Xavier. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," he told the general. "It's better on COBRA's side to fight. At least for now."
Quake appeared on the other side of Xavier. "Trust us on this," he added. "We hate Destro more than we do, and even we can see that he's the preferable choice compared with our Zartan."
"I don't like it," muttered Hawk. "He's up to something."
"Still," Xavier told him, "I don't see how we have a choice. If it's bad enough for one of your sworn enemies to come to you for help..."
"I see your point," sighed Hawk. "But I still don't like it!"
Destro sat uncomfortably in the TV room. All the kids and adults were sitting around him, shooting him baleful stares. He fought the urge to fidget uncomfortably. Command thousands of troops in a life or death battle against his mortal enemies? No problem. Sit in a room filled with teenagers who hated his guts? He shuddered slightly.
No one was speaking. They were all just watching him. Staring at him. He was about to snap.
He cleared his throat nervously. "So," he started, and winced at his voice, which was a little higher than usual, "what is there to do around here?"
"Pound on COBRA scum," growled Todd, not blinking his narrowed eyes. Destro gulped.
Xavier wheeled out, accompanied by Block and Quake. Destro looked at them with an expression not unakin to a drowning man being offered a lifeboat.
"After much debate," Xavier told the group, "and with much reservation, we've decided that it is in our best interest at this time to help Destro with what we asks. We're going to leave in an hour, to return to their temporary base and coordinate with-" his eyes narrowed "-Cobra Commander."
"Thank you," Destro told him fervently. It wasn't so much for agreeing to help. It was more for arriving in time to keep him from getting himself killed.
The Misfit handlers had arrived at the mansion, along with several other Joes. Most of them were guarding Destro warily. The handlers were talking separately with their kids.
"But why do we have to do this?" whined Todd. "They're our enemies! They've tried to kidnap and kill us a lot!"
"I know," muttered Roadblock. "I don't like it either. But COBRA's not as big a threat. We'll deal with them when it comes to that. For now we have to focus on Zartan. From our timeline, he's about to show his hand."
Lance was talking to Spirit. "I don't like it," he told his "father". "COBRA's up to something."
"Of course they're up to something," Spirit told him. "They always are. As long as we know that, we will be okay."
"Older me's told me a little about Zartan," Lance admitted. "He's more dangerous than ever. Apparently, he engineered the deaths of the entire COBRA High Command, and took power. Once the new President was elected, he offered COBRA's resources in the war."
Spirit looked at him thoughtfully as he suddenly stopped talking. "He told you something else, too," he observed quietly.
"Yeah," admitted Lance, not daring to look Spirit in the eye. "He... he told me that Piotr's going to die soon. And that I won't be able to save him."
Spirit reached out an arm, and pulled Lance to him. The teen started to sob quietly in the older man's embrace. Spirit patted his back soothingly.
"There is always a way," he told his charge. "Now that you have been warned, you may be able to prevent it."
"But what if I can't?" Lance asked, tears filling his eyes. "I hate him, but I don't want him to die! I don't see how I can figure out a way to save him!"
Spirit pushed him gently to arm's length, and looked him in the eye. "I have faith in you," he said, simply. "If there's a way, you'll find it."
Althea and Todd walked over to the two. Lance quickly dried his eyes, and tried to act casual. "Is it time?" he asked.
"Yeah," answered Althea. "It's time. The others are waiting."
The group walked around the side of the building. Gathered were the Misfits, minus Trinity and the babies, their handlers, minus Shipwreck, and the Joes who had come along for the ride. With them were the older X-Men, Xavier, Logan, Scott, Jean, Kurt, Rogue, Gambit, and Colossus. Destro was in the center of the group, looking distinctly nervous. The three time travelers were closest surrounding him.
"Let's do this," Althea told the group.
Hawk addressed the four Omega Jugglers on his viewscreen.
"They're going with him now," he reported.
"Hawk, if this goes wrong, you're gone," said Red.
"We can't trust him," Green said.
"Of course we can't," snapped Black. "But it's our only option."
"Not if you'd listened to me!" snapped Red.
"Shut up, Red," snapped Blue. "Black is right. It's our only option right now."
"I still don't like it," said Green.
"None of us do," Hawk told him. "But I think we have to go along with him, if just for now."
"Agreed," said Black. "Omegas out."
The viewscreen flickered to black.
Hawk sat back in his chair, and sighed. "I hope we know what we're getting ourselves into," he muttered to himself.
Next time: The kids are on their way to the COBRA base! What awaits them there? And what is future Zartan up to? Tune in again, for chapter seven of Misfits In Time!