Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. Ilehana Xavier belongs to Corrinth. All other characters belong to me.
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers out there; you really are all stars.
Scene 27"I will kill you mutant, unless you tell me how many of you there are in my building?" The shadowy stranger hissed in Gambit's ear, clammy hand around the syringe, face invisible to the Cajun as he stood just behind Remy's shoulder. The prickling of the needle in Gambit's arm was distracting as he tried to talk himself out of this.
"There only me." Gambit lied; staring straight ahead and wondering of he could blow the needle and syringe out of his arm. Probably not, and he'd no guarantee none of the virus would get into his bloodstream if he did. "An' I don't know nothin' 'bout no virus. I'se just a t'ief."
"I know you're lying!" The shadow man growled, pulling in closer to the taller man. He grasped Gambit's arm just below where the needle was inserted, holding on hard to remind Remy he had Gambit's life in his hands. "I know..."
Suddenly a hand closed around the shadowy man's throat from behind, a red-hot hand that made him gasp and blister. A mutant! Another mutant had him!
"Let him go or I will kill you." Blaze's voice was bristly, furious. She meant every word of her order. "Now."
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#There's no mutant's making trouble, Professor. No sign of Magneto or his cronies. I think this virus might actually have scared them off. Storm's set in a low fog that seems to have clamed things down in the streets enough for the police to take control. We'll wait on a bit longer, just to make sure, but then we're coming home. #
#Very well, Cyclops. # Xavier concluded miles away in Cerebro. #We'll see you shortly. #
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"I... I... I'm sorry. You can't come in here... Wait! Stop!"
Hank McCoy, dressed smartly for all his blue fur and huge muscles, briefcase in hand, merely brushed aside the network TV station's security guard and strode forwards purposefully. He knew where he was going; he'd been here a thousand times.
"Good morning Pamela." He nodded cheerfully to an old acquaintance, actually mildly amused as she gawped at his strange appearance, trying to place his voice. "Tell me, which studio is Richard having us in today? And will the lovely Emma be attending to my make up as usual? Only I've been going through some changes..."
"Dr McCoy?" Pamela stuttered, speaking very slowly as though he might be deaf as well as blue. "Hank, is that you?"
"Well spotted," Hank voiced his approval. "Now, if you don't mind showing me to somewhere I can get a coffee and look over my notes briefly? It has occurred to me that I'm possibly giving your station a very good exclusive..."
"Hank, whatever you can tell us about the virus aside, you've already given us the exclusive of the year!" There wasn't a trace of fear or disgust in her voice, making Hank glow with pleasure. Maybe this would work out all right after all...
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Blaze felt the man in her grasp gulp, could almost taste the sudden swell of fear in him. She didn't let go. He knew she never would, not so long as he lived. She was a mutant, mutants were evil, mutants killed for pleasure, she'd never let him go.
He was going to die regardless. May as well take one more of them with him.
"No!" Blaze screamed, eyes wide in disbelief as he depressed the plunger, forcing the colourless liquid into Gambit's arm. Forcefully she flung the stranger away, sending him skidding to his hands and knees on the floor with the force of it. Gambit grabbed the syringe out of his own arm, looked at it, so small and so deathly empty in his large gloved hand. It took a few shallow breaths for the severity of it all to sink in. He was going to die.
"No!" Blaze grabbed hold of the back of the strange man's collar, heaved him to his feet again and launched him marching down the corridor. Gambit made to follow, too shocked to know what else to do. But Blaze was having none of it. Reaching an office she melted the lock, kicked the door open, all the while holding grimly onto the man's collar like a lioness to her kill. With a shudder the door flung open, then pounded shut again right in Gambit's face. Bobby and Kurt, watching it all through the CCTV, were quickly cut out as a fireball charred the office's camera.
"We must get down there!" Kurt demanded.
"Not yet." Bobby shook his head, turning back forcefully to the computer he was working on. "I'm real close to getting it all. Might be Gambit's only chance."
"But Blaze, she will kill that man..."
"Can you blame her?" Bobby answered coldly, blue eyes glinting with justified malice as he poured over the computer screen. "What have we got here then?"
"You have something?" Kurt asked, gulping down on his nerves and peering over Bobby's shoulder.
"I know who our soon-to-be barbequed friend is." Iceman flicked up a file containing staff profiles. "He owns the plant, John Jackson. And..." He paused for a moment, frowning.
"And what?" Kurt asked impatiently.
"And he's been making a lot of encrypted video-link calls via his office computer. Probably thinks they're as safe as they need to be..."
"But you can break the code?" Bobby nodded in reply, hands diving around the keyboard like his fingertips were possessed. The computer chirruped pleasantly, and Bobby breathed out a heavy sigh. "You have it?" Kurt asked. "You know was ist is that is happening here?"
"The calls are all to the same computer. I doubt even our shadowy friend down there knows who he's calling. This is one of the most secure links I've ever seen..."
"Why?" Kurt asked, awe in his voice. "Some sort of terrorist or criminal, nein?"
"No, just the White House..." Iceman tapped away again, eyes darting over the complicated assortment of pop-ups and windows on the screen. "Wanna pay a call?"