In the hangar beneath the mansion, Pyro ran an affectionate hand over the helicopter that had been the Brotherhood's for as long as he had been part of it. It was a reliable if not spectacular vehicle, and he had done plenty of upgrade work over the years to ensure it remained in good order. When the Horsemen had attacked the island, the chopper had been shot down into the ocean and given up for lost. Pyro had, however, been determined to salvage it, and had done so with the help of his students. Bringing the wreckage back to the mansion, he had spent the last month or so repairing it and bringing it back to a state of full working order. He wasn't exactly sure why he had gone to such lengths to do so. He suspected it was because, in the depths of his heart, he did not trust his new allies, and he wanted to have the helicopter as an emergency means of escape. The X-Men had reclaimed the jet that Pyro had 'borrowed' from them, and he felt more secure having his own private form of transport ready in case he should ever need it.
It had also given him the opportunity to teach his students about the mechanics of the vehicle. It was all about teaching here, really. That seemed to be the thing the X-Men valued the most. Pyro had always made sure he trained his students how to fight, but he had never possessed the desire or the wherewithal to impart any academic knowledge to his charges, unless you counted the occasional lecture on explosives or electronics (for the purpose of bypassing security systems). Now those who had been his enemies were teaching his students in all manner of fields: science; mathematics; art; literature; history; philosophy; and heaven knew what else. He'd never done anything to oppose it, of course – it made no sense to deprive his daughter or her friends of an education – but still he worried that his proteges were slowly turning away from him and towards the X-Men's way of thinking. As time went on, he saw the alliance as less of an alliance and more of a take-over, with his students being subtly brainwashed into joining the other side. He didn't know if that was the case. He didn't know what he should do about it even if it was. He didn't know if he even cared any more. He had a daughter now, and everything else seemed to have become largely inconsequential by comparison.
"Hey, Pyro!"
At the sound of the voice he looked round. Little Acceleratus was running across the hangar towards him, short of breath, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the door, "Come on!"
"What is it?" he asked.
"I've been looking for you everywhere! Gaia wants to see you! And Oculus is there too. They said I should come and find you; they said it's really, really important!"
Caught up in the child's exuberance, he asked no more questions and allowed the little girl to lead him back up the to ground floor. She headed for the communications room, and he followed. Inside he found Oculus and Gaia. Both of them looked up when he entered, and Accel smiled proudly, "I found him! He was in the hangar!"
"That's good, honey, thank you," said Gaia, gently ushering the little girl towards the door. "You go and play now."
"OK, Gaia."
When Accel had vanished, Pyro said, "So what's up?"
It was Oculus who answered, "We have a serious problem. We've lost contact with the others."
"What, all of them? All eight?"
"Yes. At first I thought the communicator here might be faulty, but I had a look and I don't think that's the problem. I think they've been captured. And it gets worse. A terrorist strike occurred in Edinburgh less than an hour ago."
"Edinburgh? That's where Chris went, right?"
"Yes. And the human authorities are now claiming they've arrested the mutants responsible for the bombing."
"They must have captured Chris and Fliss, and think they're to blame," said Gaia.
"They also think they've uncovered evidence of a world-wide mutant terror organisation. Hence we suspect the rest of our friends have been captured as well."
"But wait a minute," said Pyro in confusion. "How did they know that our – that your friends were mutants? I mean, with the exception of Nightcrawler, it isn't immediately obvious, is it?"
"Yes, you're right. It's obvious we've been targeted. Whoever is really orchestrating these terror attacks has clearly discovered that we're investigating them. They've used this latest bombing as an excuse to get our friends arrested."
Gaia added, "From here it will only get worse. Already measures are being put into place against the rest of the mutant population. All mutants in Europe, America and Oceania can consider themselves under house arrest until the full extent of the terrorist organisation has been exposed."
"Huh?"
"That's what a representative of the UN security council said half an hour ago."
"All this has happened in one hour? I thought the UN normally spent three days debating whether to have sugar doughnuts or plain doughnuts in their meetings."
"Of course, it's obvious this whole thing has been set up," said Oculus. "This has been planned for some time, and the ones responsible have just been waiting for the opportunity."
"Which we gave to them," Pyro said. "We walked right into their trap, didn't we?"
"It would seem that way."
"Damn you people, this is what I've been warning you about for months! This has been coming for years! The humans are trying to destroy us!"
"We still don't know who or what is behind this," Gaia argued.
"You still think Magneto's responsible?" Pyro snapped.
"It's not impossible. Think about it. A lot of mutants aren't going to sit back and have their personal liberties threatened. They're going to fight back, aren't they? This could be Magneto's way of starting the war he always wanted."
"Oh, don't be absurd. He's dead. I've got proof."
Surprise crossed her face, "Really?"
"Yeah. But we've got other things to worry about right now. We've got to do something about this."
"What can we do?"
"I should talk to the UN," said Oculus. "The Security Council is meeting in London. I have to go there. I think that's what the Professor would have done in my place. I have to try to convince them not to inflame this situation any further."
"Where are your friends being held? We have to get them out," said Pyro.
"We can't do that," Gaia said. "If the humans think they're being attacked – "
"Will you stop thinking about the fucking humans ahead of our own kind!" Pyro yelled. "If our friends are in danger, we have to help them, period!"
"But if the humans think they're under attack, it could make things worse! They might think we are trying to start a war!"
"They've already started one! Our only choice is whether we defend ourselves or let them kill us – personally, I think I'll choose to defend myself!"
"John, violence isn't the only way to solve our problems!"
"Ever hear the phrase 'meeting fire with fire'? Violence is the only language humans understand."
Gaia shook her head, "It doesn't matter how many humans you kill, John. It isn't going to bring Jacqueline back."
Pyro's rage exploded inside of him, and before he knew what he was doing he had grabbed Gaia around the throat and pushed her up against the wall.
"How dare you!" he roared, his fingers beginning to tighten around her neck as if she was the one who had killed his love, as if he could somehow avenge Jacqueline's death.
"John, get your hands off me," she demanded.
As quickly as the rage had come, it left him. He let go of her, and held up his hands to show he was calm. She nodded to show it was all right. A few moments passed in uncomfortable silence, then he asked, "So what do you suggest we do?"
"I – well, I can't think of anything straight away. We have to find some way to prove our innocence. We have to expose these conspirators and show that mutants aren't responsible for the bombings."
"Yeah, but how do we do that?"
"Dominic and some of your students were looking at that metal disc and trying to find some clues. Let's ask them if they found out anything."
Pyro and Gaia left the communications room and went to look for the teenagers. It didn't take long to track them down in the games room, where Gemini sat on the sofa, staring unhappily at the floor, Cassandra beside her with her arm around her friend's shoulders. The guys were keeping a respectful distance. Helios and Vertigo sat at one of the computers, while Atlas stood watching whatever they were doing over their shoulders. Little Acceleratus was there too, sitting on the floor in the corner watching one of the television sets.
"Hey, Vertigo," Pyro called.
The ninja boy looked round, and got to his feet to see what his leader wanted. As he approached he was careful to stay away from the sofa where the two girls sat.
"Look Pyro, about Gemini…" he began, quietly so nobody would overhear. "I'm sorry about what happened; I just – "
"We'll talk about that later. We've got more pressing things to worry about right now. Were you able to find out anything about that metal disc?"
"The MUTANT FREEDOM badge thing? Yeah, there was something…hold on, I'll be back in a minute."
The boy disappeared out the door, and Pyro turned his attention to his daughter. He managed to catch Gemini's eye, and he gave her a little smile, encouraged and somewhat relieved when she returned it.
"Is she OK?" Gaia whispered in his ear.
"I think so – for now, anyway."
"John, I don't really know how to say this, but…well, I have a daughter of my own. Sometimes when a girl's having problems, a father isn't enough. She needs to hear it from another woman. If you think it might help…"
"Yeah…yeah, I'll let you know. Thanks, Chloe."
She was the second woman who had offered to talk to his daughter from a female point of view. Was Gemini suffering from not having a mother? Were there certain things a father simply couldn't do for his daughter? He didn't know. He knew that the girl would never have a mother. He knew he was never going to marry, or fall in love again. There was a part of his heart that was closed forever and could never be reopened, because the only girl he'd ever loved had died. The only woman who had ever been anything like a mother to Gemini was Mystique, and she was…well, they were unlikely to be spending much time together in the near future.
"Hey, here it is," said Vertigo, as he entered the room.
He was carrying one of the scientific journals he'd borrowed from Scott. He put it down on the table and the rest of them gathered round. Acceleratus' curiosity got the better of her, and she switched off the TV and joined them.
"What are we looking at?" said Dominic.
"One of your boss's science magazines," Vertigo replied. "It's an article about a new metallic alloy called constantium. I was trying to tell you about it just before the school was attacked. It's a research project funded partly by the US Navy. They've created what is supposedly 'the strongest material on Earth'."
"Stronger than adamantium?"
"That seems a logical deduction."
"If their claim is true."
"Yeah. Anyway, maybe this explains the disc. I mean, how it was engraved. If constantium is stronger than adamantium, which is what the disc is made of…"
"Yes…that would explain it," said Pyro. "So, if your theory is correct, whoever engraved the disc must have a supply of this constantium material. Does the article say anything else?"
"Only the name of constantium's discoverer: a Dr Cartëasis."
"That's a weird name," said little Accel.
Gemini's startled voice came, "That was – that was my name…"
"Cartëasis?"
"Yeah…yeah. Back when I was – I mean, when – before I met Dad…"
"So this must be someone you know," said Vertigo. "I mean, how many people would have a weird name like that?"
The expected stinging retort from Gemini did not come. The spark of life was gone from her eyes, and Pyro was instantly saddened.
"Could it be somebody you knew?" he asked his daughter gently.
"I dunno…" she said. "My dad and – and his wife are dead. My sister is still alive…"
"Does she do this kind of research stuff?" Dominic asked.
"I – I really don't know. I've no idea what's happened to her since – since I was taken away. That was six years ago. She could be doing anything."
"You should talk to her," Gaia suggested. "This could give us some real information about who's making these badges. If so, it will lead us to the people directing the terrorists."
"I guess this means it has nothing whatsoever to do with Magneto," Pyro added. "He was framed, and you people fell for it right away."
Gemini's hands went to the pendant around her neck, the one Mystique had given her, "Dad, should we show them?"
"Later," he said, then turned to Gaia. "Listen, Chloe, I still say we go ahead with rescuing our – your – friends. That's the most important thing. The longer we delay, the more harm might come to them."
"Why should we care what happens to the X-Men?" asked Vertigo.
"Because they're the only friends we have in a world that's determined to destroy us and our children. With them we stand a chance of surviving. Without them, I don't fancy our odds."
"So what do we do?"
"The humans have taken them captive and we have to get them back. The first thing to do is discover where they're being held. We can bet it'll be one of the highest security prisons the scum have available to them, most likely a military installation."
"Will they all be held in the same place?" asked Atlas.
"There's no way of knowing – yet. At the moment we're thinking they've all been arrested on the orders of the same group of people, so it's possible they've been taken to one single facility. Then again, keeping them separated is probably wisest in terms of security."
"Scott and Logan were in Toronto, so they're probably being held closest to here," said Gaia. "That's probably your best starting point. If we can get Scott back, he can take charge of the situation and decide where we go from there."
"So now you agree we have to get them back?"
"Provided you can do it with the minimum of violence. I think you're right about one thing: the longer we delay, the more likely they'll get hurt. OK, here's my plan. You take Gemini to meet her sister, and find out whatever you can about constantium. In the meantime we'll stay here and try to work out where our friends have been taken."
"Right. Good luck."
"You too."
Am I doing the right thing? Will I be able to solve this problem? Or am I tackling this entirely the wrong way?
Neil Rosiçky tried to calm his doubts as he prepared to leave for London.
Will anything I do even make a difference? Has this gone beyond the capability of any one man to straighten it out? Could we have done more to avert this? Should we have seen this coming? Maybe we became complacent after defeating the Horsemen. Maybe we thought the world was safe. Maybe we thought evil had been destroyed and couldn't threaten us any more. Maybe we were all just getting ready to live happily ever after, thinking that the trial was over and there would be no more suffering.
We should have realised – I should have realised – that evil can't be destroyed. It's always going to be there. Evil exists because temptation exists. Temptation exists because we have free will. Free will is our gift from God. Isn't it strange that God created something that's capable of evil? Isn't it strange that God created this beautiful world and allowed us to destroy it?
Neil struggled to do the impossible and comprehend the infinitely superior wisdom of God. I'm trying to understand why things are the way they are. It's like a parent giving their baby a toy to see what he does with it. God has given us free will to see what we do with it. Some will use it well, and be rewarded. On the other hand, some will misuse it, and the results are only too obvious in our world. The more he thought about it, the better the analogy seemed. In a way, we are like God's baby. He conceived us out of love and gave us life. He's given us a start in life – given us the world we live on – and is now watching us to see what we do. Just like children, we have limited control over our own existence, but our Father is always there, to help us and support us when we need it. And just as children can't understand the way adults work, we can't understand the way God works. Our minds just aren't capable of working on His level.
And like children, we've been naïve. I remember when I was a teenager. I thought – as we all did – that evil could be destroyed simply by defeating Magneto, or Mindstorm or my father or Constantine, or whoever our enemy was at the time. We thought that by getting them out of the way, we could ensure the safety of the world. We thought that evil existed in a living form. We thought it was like cleaning out a basement simply by killing all the rats. The real world isn't like that. The real world is like cleaning out the rats in a house to try and protect the people who live there, except every one of those people has the potential to become a rat themselves. And often you can't tell when a person has become a rat. And of course, in the real world the 'rats' are as intelligent as we are, and they can fight back…
We can't defeat evil. It's not possible. By its very nature, it can't be destroyed. Those people, like us, who have committed themselves to fighting evil, must realise it's a never-ending battle. It's an enemy that can't be beaten. Its effects can be lessened, but it will always be there. It's like fighting a multi-headed Hydra. All we can do is try to cut off one head at a time, try to see where the next one is going to sprout from, then go after it before it can do too much damage. There's no way to destroy the whole beast. There's no central point, no Achilles' heel, no one single source of evil. It's part of human nature. We can't destroy it without destroying ourselves, destroying our own free will..
As long as people have free will, evil will always return. What I'm about to do is one of the biggest risks I've ever taken. It may not work at all. Even if it succeeds, things may not work out the way I intend.
He sighed. There simply is no other way.
The young woman named Melody smiled at her baby daughter as the infant looked up at her and gurgled happily. Then the young mother felt sad. If only little Athena knew. If only she knew how close the two of them had come to not seeing this day. The Plague that had spread through the Americas and killed millions, including Melody's husband – Athena's father – had so nearly claimed the lives of the young mother and tiny daughter also. Still nobody knew for certain how the Plague had been stopped. The government had suddenly announced the existence of a cure, available to all, and the human race had been saved. But Melody knew. A chance encounter with a young mutant had given her the opportunity to meet the man responsible for the creation of the Plague vaccine. Her prayers had been answered that day, as the terrible infection that was destroying her and her baby, was taken away. The man had been a mutant, a mutant called Oculus. Mutants had saved the world. Melody knew this, yet she had been sworn to secrecy. Such was her gratitude to the mutants in question that she would have done anything they'd asked. This seemed like a small price to pay for the life of herself and her child. It was obvious why they wanted to be kept secret. They were trying to run a school for mutant children, and clearly they wanted to be left in peace to do so.
Now the question that tugged at her mind was: were those mutants connected to her sister in some way? As a teenager Melody had been told her younger mutant sister, Alexandra, had died. It hadn't been until a month ago that she'd had a shock visit from her sister. Alexandra was still alive, but Melody hadn't had a chance to talk to her. She had left just as suddenly as she had arrived. Now she wondered when she might see her little sister again. Did Alex wonder about the fact she had a baby niece? Had Alex been part of the mutant group who cured the Plague? Melody had to find out the answers to these questions. She had to find out exactly what had happened in her sister's past.
As if in answer to her wondering, the doorbell suddenly rang. Caught by surprise, Melody lifted baby Athena into her arms, and went to answer the door. Undoing the latch, she pulled it open.
"Alexandra!"
"Hi, Melody."
"Oh, I've missed you…" she said softly, caressing her younger sister's face with her free hand. "I've missed you so much, little sister. I can't believe I thought you were dead for so long…"
The tiny baby fixed her eyes on Gemini. Melody looked at Pyro, "Um, you're – ?"
"Her father."
"Oh – I see. Well…Alex, I was actually just thinking about you. I'm so happy you're here. Will you come in?"
They followed her inside.
"We need to ask you something," Pyro said, not wasting any time.
"What's that?"
"Your name is Cartëasis?"
"My maiden name, yes."
"What do you do for a living? Are you a researcher?"
Melody smiled, sitting down with the baby on her lap, "No. Looking after this little person is a full-time job in itself. I inherited money from my parents, so I have no need to work at the moment," then she turned to the baby, "Athena? I want you to meet your Auntie. This is Alexandra. And this is, uh, her dad."
"Can I hold her?" Gemini said suddenly.
"Sure. Be gentle with her."
Carefully Gemini took the baby from her older sister, and Melody turned her attention back to Pyro.
"You asked if I was a researcher…why was that?"
"Do you know anything about a material called constantium?"
"Con – what? No, what is it?"
"It's a new alloy that's just been created, supposedly the strongest metal on Earth. Its creator's name is Cartëasis. Does this mean anything to you?"
"Well…no."
He noticed the slight hesitation before her answer, and pressed, "Nothing at all?"
Melody frowned, "Well, that sounds like the kind of research my mom was involved in. But she died a few years back. You spoke as if this discovery happened recently."
Gemini interrupted at that point, "Dad, look, she's smiling at me!"
"That's good, honey," he said distractedly, then to Melody. "How did your mother die?"
"A boat accident. She hired a boat and went out for a cruise one day. She never came back. I guess she hit a rock or something."
Pyro was about to give the obligatory "I'm sorry" but remembering what Melody's mother had done to Gemini, he changed his mind.
"Where did she work?"
"Oh, she did some research work for the Navy. And sometimes for private investors as well. She worked in laboratories all over the country."
Gemini smiled at the baby. I think I can see now why Cassie loves children so much
Then Melody leaned in closer, "Sir…um, I don't quite know how to say this…are you a mutant like Alex?"
"Yes, I am."
"How did you come to know each other?"
"I saved her life."
"What happened to her? Where has she been all these years?"
"I'll let her tell you, when she's ready to. It isn't a pleasant story."
"Was she – were the two of you involved with those mutants who stopped the Plague?"
Actually, we started the Plague, he didn't say, instead replying, "Yes, they're our friends."
"I knew it! I knew Alex had to be involved in some way! I knew she would be doing something to help fight the Plague."
Pyro said nothing. Clearly this woman had a lot to learn about her little sister. He glanced at Gemini. She was wearing what seemed like her first smile for some time, as she cuddled her baby niece. Melody looked over and smiled too, saying softly, "I'm so happy to see Alex again. I'm really grateful that you're taking care of her. I know people say a lot of bad things about mutants, but I don't believe any of it. These terror attacks on the news are supposedly the work of mutants, but I don't believe that for a moment. There's no evidence at all."
Wow, one of the humans actually likes us, Pyro thought sarcastically, wonders will never cease.
"Are you married?" he asked out of idle curiosity.
"I was. My husband died. He had the Plague."
"Oh. I'm sorry" – and this time he meant it.
"Are you?" she asked.
"No. I – I would have been, but…" he sighed. "It didn't work out that way."
She saw the pain in his eyes and knew exactly what must have happened. She said nothing. Inwardly, Pyro sighed. This appeared to have been a waste of time, time they couldn't afford to waste. The Cartëasis who had developed this constantium stuff seemed to be unconnected to Gemini's family. Perhaps it was a more common name than they'd thought. Where was it from, anyway? Greece? For a second something nagged at the back of his mind, as if he was overlooking something. He struggled to make sense of it, but it was merely an idea flitting elusively around in his head. He couldn't pin it down. And they couldn't afford to spend any more time here when their friends – he was coming to think of them that way – might be in serious danger.
"I'm really sorry, but we have to go," he said to Melody.
"Already? But you've only just got here!"
"I know, I'm sorry, but there's something really important we have to do. Gemini? Let's go."
The girl, still holding the baby, looked up in dismay, but then she remembered why they had come here. Giving her tiny niece one last kiss, she handed the baby back to Melody.
"Alex, you'll come visit us again, won't you?"
"Sure, as soon as I can. I really wish I could stay longer this time."
"We have to go, honey," said her father, his hand on her shoulder.
"I know. I'm coming. I'll see you again, Melody."
"Wait, Alex, before you go – here's my phone number in case you want to contact me."
She handed Gemini a piece of paper.
"And I was going to ask: where are you staying?" said Melody.
"Um – at a boarding school."
She nodded, "The mutant school in New York?"
"You know it?"
"Yeah. I was going to ask you – maybe this is too early – but I wondered if you'd like to move here and stay with me?"
"Well…I'm, like, living with my dad."
"You could both live here. It's OK, I'm not asking you to make a decision on the spot, Alex, but think about it. Talk to your dad. And please, please come visit us again. Promise?"
"OK, I promise. We have to go now."
"Sure. Say 'bye bye', Athena."
The baby watched as Alexandra and her father left.Then she nuzzled against her mother. She was hungry.
"Did you find out what we need?" Gemini asked as they set off for home.
"I don't think I found out anything. Your sister didn't have a clue what I was talking about. She said your mother used to do that kind of work, but she died years ago."
"Good. I'll never forgive that monster for what she did to me. How did she die? I hope it was painful."
"Your sister said something about a boat accident. Her body was never found."
"So, like, this was a complete waste of time?"
"It would seem that way, except – "
"Except what?"
"I don't know. There's something – something nagging at the back of my mind. I don't know what it is. Maybe something doesn't add up."
"You think maybe she's not dead? Like she faked it?"
"Well…maybe. I mean, that water girl – what's her name?"
"Aqua."
"Weren't her family also killed in an unexplained boat accident?"
His daughter nodded, "Yeah, I think that's right. You think maybe it's too much coincidence?"
"On one hand, yes. On the other hand, there's no obvious link between her family and yours. Perhaps it is just a coincidence."
"Let's suppose it isn't. Why would my – why would she fake her own death? What is she trying to hide?"
"It must be tied in with her research…which in turn seems to be tied in with these metal discs we keep finding. And those seem to be tied in with the terrorist attacks that mutants are being blamed for."
"Well, if someone is trying to frame mutants, my mother would be a prime candidate. She hates us."
Pyro frowned, "Then again, if she faked her death to cover her tracks, why did her name appear in one of Cyclops' scientific journals where anyone could read it?"
"Maybe it slipped out by accident."
"Yeah. Or maybe she just doesn't care about secrecy any more. Maybe whatever she's planning to do is about to come to fruition, and it doesn't matter any more whether people know she's alive."
"But what is she planning to do? I don't get it. What's the purpose of this whole scheme, these terror attacks? Is it just to frame mutants and get us arrested and put into research labs?"
"That's part of it, I suspect, but there must be more than that. Where does the constantium fit in?"
"To make us think Magneto is behind it," she suggested. "To throw us off the scent."
"Well, maybe. But what about the attack on the school? There must be something else going on here, something we can't see just yet. Mutants must only be part of it. We should find out who your mother was working for when she developed the constantium."
"Vertigo said it was partly funded by Navy."
"Yes…" he said. "We have to find out who the other investors were. They must be connected to this too."
"You think the Navy are involved?"
"Possibly. I'm trying to think what they intend to use the constantium for."
"A weapon?"
"More than likely. It's a sad fact that more than 90 of the scientific research in this country is funded by the military, for the sole purpose of making bigger and better weapons to kill more and more people."
Gemini sighed, "Like, that's why mutants should run the world. We don't need weapons. We've got our powers. We'd research, like, medicine and stuff."
He smiled proudly at his daughter, "You're absolutely right."
She smiled back, and leaned across the helicopter cockpit to kiss him on the cheek. For a few minutes there was silence, until Pyro suddenly said, "Wait a minute. I've got it."
"Got what?"
"I don't believe it. It's so simple. Why didn't I see it until now?"
"Dad, what are you talking about?"
"I just worked out the reason for the terrorist attacks, and why mutants are being framed."
"Tell me!"
"All right. Think about it: what is the foremost thing in every human's mind right now?"
"You mean – "
"They're all petrified of further terror attacks, right? And the possibility that they might be the next ones targeted, since nobody knows why the terrorists are hitting these particular cities. Another bomb might go off anywhere at any time. I can imagine I'd be pretty scared in that situation. Hell, anyone would. That's when I realised: it's a smoke-screen."
"Huh?"
"Whatever your mom and these other people are planning, it clearly has to be kept secret. They've started these terrorist attacks to keep the population's mind on only one thing: mutants. The human masses have no difficulty in believing that mutants are responsible for everything that's wrong with the world. Their media force-feeds that kind of propaganda to them on a daily basis. These conspirators are using us to keep the humans' attention. That way nobody will notice anything or get suspicious about what's going on. We're all too worried about the terrorists."
"Ah…I think I understand…" she said, trying to think of some analogy. "You're saying it's like they're smashing in the front door, then sneaking in through the back door while everyone goes to investigate the noise?"
"Uh – something like that, I guess. While everyone's attention is focussed on the terrorists, they're up to something else. Something that is clearly so vital it has to be kept secret. And it must be something that will affect the whole world – after all, the whole world is subject to the supposed terrorist threat."
"So it's a weapon? Something that will kill us all?"
"Perhaps. That would explain the constantium. And the terrorist attacks clearly show these people have no problems with random slaughter. But I don't see it, somehow."
"You don't?"
"No. There has to be more to it. Constructing a weapon to wipe out the Earth is pointless. Nuclear weapons already exist. They just need to steal one, like the Horsemen did."
"The Horsemen tried and failed. Maybe these guys know that."
"The Horsemen only failed because we stopped them. There was nothing wrong with their method."
"You think these guys are connected to the Horsemen?"
He shrugged, "No idea. The Horsemen obviously didn't create themselves. Somebody had to be funding Van Gaarde. Oh, honey, I'm sorry…"
She had flinched at the sound of her tormentor's name, but she recovered quickly, and tried to smile at him. Another thought had already occurred to Pyro.
"Here's another idea," he said. "Since the Apocalypse incident, virtually every country in the world has agreed to a complete ban on nuclear weaponry. There's a vote in the UN security council about it; they're meeting right here in New York tomorrow. Only ourselves and Britain are opposed to the ban. I wonder if that's connected in some way. After all, our new President promised in his election bid that he would outlaw nuclear weapons. He seems to have changed his mind rather suddenly, and rather unexpectedly."
"These people are controlling the President?"
"I don't know. I know Britain is only opposing this treaty because we are. Together the two countries can block it. I know the President has offered no clear and logical explanation for his sudden change of heart. There could be a link to our conspirators. They might have some hold over him."
"But he's got, like, the best security protection in the world! How can they be threatening him?"
"I don't know."
She seemed to shrink into her seat a little, "Dad, I'm – all of a sudden I'm really scared. What are these people trying to do? How much power do they have?"
"That's what we have to find out."