Gone Again
The plans went smoothly; there were only two small problems; Sara and Sherry. If they were left behind then who knew how they would react to suddenly finding their replacement parents gone. If the decision was made to take them, then their minds would have to be temporarily wiped of all memories of their time spent with the X-Men and a suitable replacement would have to be inserted. They decided it would just be easier to leave them behind; they could fix any damage done when they got back.
It was hard to act like a normal part of the team when, in a few short days, they would disappear without a trace. Fury had given Psyc a signal to activate if she decided to go. Once activated, it would pick her, and anyone she decided to take with her, up in two days at a pre-set site ten miles away from the institute. Psyc pushed the button and grinned at Jazz. "Two more days…then the fun begins."
"Oh yeah," Jazz said sarcastically. "It'll be a blast. Two more days of playing happy little hero, then I get to play the false spy."
"You know, you don't have to come," Psyc pointed out.
"Right," Jazz scoffed, "And we haven't spent the last seven years as inseparable partners in all our mischief making."
Gambit watched Sherry climb the stairs, heading to bed, and wondered for the millionth time, if they were doing the right thing. Not just in leaving Sara and Sherry behind, but by going at all. If S.H.I.E.L.D. was right, then this could be dangerous. Fighting head on was one thing, but covert operations weren't exactly what they had been rained for. During their brief stint undercover with the F.O.H., Logan had been the main person to actually go to meetings. He and Jazz had simply shown up a time or two for appearances sake.
Worrying now was pointless…they would be picked up at midnight. At ten, the small group headed up the stairs, as usual, the last to "go to sleep." Psyc stopped Gambit in the hall outside her room after Jazz had already gone in.
"You don't have to go," she told him. "You could stay here with Sherry. Make sure she's okay."
He shook his head. "Nice try, Lar'a," he said with a smirk, "Mais, wid yo' track record, Remy t'inks he'll keep yo' in sigh'…jus' in case." Psyc nodded and he kissed her good night, though as she pointed out they'd be seeing each other in less than ten minutes. Nathan was already waiting when Remy closed the bedroom door behind him.
I still don't like it, he thought, checking one last time to make sure that everything he planned on taking was in his trench coat pockets. Remy sighed and Nathan laughed.
"It's your girlfriends plan," he pointed out.
"Oui." Remy smiled ruefully. "Mais, dat don' mean Remy's gotta li'e i'." They went out the window and met the girls.
"Soo…" Jazz was the first to speak. "How're we supposed to get to the pick-up point?"
"Walk," Psyc said simply.
Remy cleared his throat. "C'n yo' all ride bareback?" They nodded. "Den Remy's go' a be'er idea. We ta'e de 'orses an' Jazz sen's dem back t' de stables."
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Jazz laughed as everyone agreed.
The group got to the pick-up point barely on time, and Fury was late.
"Figures," Psyc muttered as the wait seemed to stretch on for hours. "Leave it to Fury to be late to his own pickup point." Time stretched on. At the three-hour mark, Psyc spoke again, raising her voice for all to hear. "We'll give him ten more minutes, if he doesn't show by then, we take off." She dropped down onto the ground and pulled her knees to her chest so she could rest her forehead on them. She was exhausted. Since they had started their preparations, she had slept just enough to stay functional, and now it was starting to show.
She felt Gambit drop down beside her and put his arm around her. "Yo' alrigh' chére?" She nodded and leaned against him, closing her eyes and just relaxing.
Jazz heard it firs, just as they were leaving, the soft whump of helicopter blades. "Well, whadaya know," she said bitterly. "The old coot decided to show." Psyc turned to watch the machine's decent and Jazz tensed. She knew that look in her friend's eyes. She recognized the man that jumped out of the bird and sighed, catching up with Psyc as she strode forward.
"Fury, you maggot sucking son of a bitch! D'you have any idea how long we've been waiting!"
"I see her manners have gone down hill in the past seven years," the woman beside the general said with a sniff. "You trust her?"
Psyc balled her fist and Jazz clamped her hand on the other girl's bicep. "Smile and make nice," she hissed. "We've gotta stick to the plan. Pick your fights more carefully." Jazz met Psyc's glare until the other girl nodded.
"Fine, I'll play nice, for now." Jazz didn't like the tone in her friend's voice, but released her anyway.
"I trust her," Fury said, smirking. "She's John's. That's all the reason I need. She'll do right by us, just like she always has."
"She's standing right here, you asshole," Psyc snapped and Jazz gritted her teeth. She'd just have to trust her friend knew what she was doing. After all, she grew up with the man. "And she doesn't like being talked about as if she isn't."
"Son of a bitch? Asshole?" Fury laughed. "You sound like your dad when we were off duty."
Psyc shrugged. "Well, I figured I better keep with tradition." She held out her hand, offering a small, shy smile.
Don't' lay it on too thick, girl, Jazz thought.
"That fool's eating it up faster than a kid with cotton candy," Nathan chuckled in her mind.
"How would you know what a kid with cotton candy's like?" she asked as the general clasped Psyc's hand, and then pulled her into an embrace.
Gambit stood back and watched things unfold just as they'd planned. De fool actu'lly t'inks Lar'a i' jus' gonna walk back int' 'is c'ntrol. He watched as Fury embraced his girlfriend and studied the man with more than just his eyes. Remy let his empathy flow out over the group, taking each person in individually.
Jazz was ready to jump in if things went wrong. Nathan was simply bored though his eyes shifted continually from face to face. Larla-Rose was forcing herself to be friendly but her emotions were the same uproar they'd been since her second visit to the cemetery.
As he'd expected, the soldiers were tense, ready to spring if given the command, and seemed to be focusing on Jazz who was closest to their General. The woman, a scientist or doctor if the white lab coat was any kind of clue, was skeptical and slightly suspicious. Finally, he focused in on Fury as the man released Larla-Rose and was surprised at what he found. The man actually cared, there was no regret, but he did care for his "Niece" in his own odd way.
"General." The woman spoke after clearing her throat. "We need to get going. I suggest you two continue this onboard."
"Of course, Jessica," the man said turning to enter the carrier. Gambit almost smiled as Psyc refused to move.
"Two of you?" Psyc repeated staring the woman down.
"Of course. The general and yourself," Jessica said.
Psyc shook her head. "My friends aren't just here to bid me farewell," she snapped and Remy smirked at her barely contained fury. "You were planning on sending some of your people in with me—I don't want them.' Her emerald eyes blazed and Remy barely held in a chuckle. He knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of that stare. "These are the people I trust with my life. They're the ones I want at my back. This is my team. If they don't go…I don't go."
Bravo, chére. Le' dem know who's boss 'ere, Gambit chuckled mentally.
Fury met his niece's determined stare and bit back a smile. She truly is her father's child, her mother's beauty with none of her soft-spoken nature. She'll take her chosen few, fewer than the average squad even, and no one else.
"Put down your hackles, girl," he told her with the smallest bit of amusement in his voice. "If they're who you want, they're who you get." He jerked his head toward the ramp and the group followed him aboard. "Are you sure you don't want our boy? It'll be his first field work as well."
He heard Larla-Rose stop and turned to face her.
"Now I'm positive," she snapped. "You don't even see fit to give me an actual agent! Instead you try to stick me with some green kid that no doubt wouldn't even be able to keep up with me on the basic training course!"
Fury chuckled. "That's hardly a fair way to judge my agents. I could hardly keep up with you before you 'left' and I suspect you have improved in your seven years on the streets." He smiled as the ramp raised and the helicarrier lifted from the ground. "However, he will by able to 'keep up'. In fact he has beaten your formerly standing record on the advanced core. Of course, that isn't difficult when your speed is measured in mach's is it, Northstar?"
The boy seemed to appear out of nowhere as he stopped beside the general. Fury heard Psyc gasp as the boy said "Hey, Rose!" in a cheerfully superior tone.
Jean-Paul smiled as he ran in circles around the group. He couldn't wait to see the look on his old friend's face when she found out he would be working with her. He wasn't bothered by her outburst that she didn't want whoever it was that Nick was sending with them, she'd change her mind when she found out who it was. He smiled again as Nick told Larla-Rose that the person he was sending with them had beaten her score, that had been the best thing about discovering his powers, he was able to do what no one in years had managed to…beat her time on the training courses. Jean-Paul took a moment to relish the look of shock as he stopped beside his boss.
"Hey Rose!" he said and paused. "I have secrets too, you know. After I thought you died, I took your place with the squad and even before my powers kicked in, I was beating your times. When they did kick in, well, you had no chance."
"Well, Jonny, that's hardly an equal playing field," Psyc teased.
Jean-Paul turned to return to the room he'd been assigned. "So, are you having me or not? Or are you just taking your new friends and forgetting your old?"
Psyc groaned at him. "You know I'd take you. What's the point of something like this without trusted friends and yes, that's what you are."
Jean-Paul scoffed and continued to walk away muttering under his breath. "Prove it."
"I head that, J.P.," Psyc told him telepathically, using the nickname he preferred. "If you trained with the squad I know they taught you shielding, so use it unless you want 'paths to pick up on everything."
"Pick up on this," he thought bitterly, vividly picturing himself flipping her off as he slammed his bedroom door.
"You feelin' okay?" Jazz asked as a door slammed and Psyc burst into laughter. Psyc nodded.
"Fine," she projected to the group, unable to speak aloud through her laughter. "Jean-Paul just flipped me off mentally… 'twas an amusing picture."
"Oookay… so he's a prat rather than a stuck up brat." Jazz shook her head as Gambit and Nathan chuckled.
"Larla-rose," Fury snapped angrily. "It is not proper to speak telepathically in a group."
"Oh shove it, General." Jazz put a world of scorn in the title. "She's here purely outta some ridiculous loyalty to you and can leave at any given time. You need her, so don't start correcting her when she's screwing off with friends or we're all outta here faster than you can blink."
"I'm disappointed in you, Psyc." He put as much scorn in her codename as Jazz had put in his title. "I thought you were better than that…what would your father say?"
Psyc flinched and Jazz threw out her arm in front of Gambit as Nathan clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Why yo' li'le…D' yo' care 'bou' Lar'a a' all!"
Jazz blinked as Northstar appeared once again beside Fury. "Shut-it cutie," he said coldly. "You have no idea what you are talking about. Vous pouvez être mignon, mais vous êtes encore juste des pièces de rechange."
"Why yo'…" Jazz pressed harder against Gambit's chest to keep him form strangling the other boy.
"No clue what you said, pretty boy," Jazz sneered. "But one more word out of your mouth and I'll let him pound you to dust."
"I've had it!" Psyc pushed her way through the group and slammed the door to her room. "Tell me when we're ready for the drop!" she projected, forcing it through all shields she could.
Jazz flinched a little and Northstar flinched a lot, Fury simply shook his head as a small smile crossed his face before being suppressed.
Nathan spoke for the first time. "I suggest we all adjourn to our rooms and rest before the work begins." Jazz wasn't surprised when everyone listened.
Psyc stared around her at the mess she'd made. It seemed as if Uncle Nick had done his best, or ordered someone else to make the room she'd been assigned look like any other teenage girl's room…and she had done her best to make it reasonable a demolition site. Her breath came in quick shallow gasps as she surveyed the destruction, her mind racing as the last of the feathers floated to the floor. How dare he throw my father in my face like that! She kicked the door and punched it at the same time. I showed him, didn't I! All this time and I came back. She snapped her fingers. Like that! The audacity of that man! And J.P.! How could he defend Fury! She threw the only thing left, a picture of her when she was four on the training course and threw it against the wall where it shattered.
A knock on the door made her turn. "What?" she yelled not bothering to hide her anger. "I said not to bug me until we were ready to drop! And I know we haven't been heli-bound that long! So piss off!"
"Sorry chere," Gambit's familiar voice floated through the door. "Mais yo' know Remy don' follow orders very well." Psyc opened the door and grabbed a fist full of his shirt, using it to pull him inside before she slammed the door shut once again. "'s been a while since Remy's 'ad da' 'appen t' 'im."
"What?" Psyc demanded.
"Bein' pulled int' a room li'e de las' ting de puller wan'ed wa' fo' 'im t' be seen."
"No." She almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. "What did you com here for?"
"Since when does Remy nee' a 'scuse t' come see yo'?" Any other time the smile he gave her would have made her heart turn over. Instead she scowled at him. "Alrigh'…" He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Remy wa' worried 'bou' yo'." Psyc's response was to hit the wall again. She clenched and unclenched her fist as he looked around the room. "Remy li'es wha' yo've done wid de place." He chuckled briefly until he caught her eye.
"Do you really want to patronize me right now, Remy LeBeau?" Psyc lashed out verbally, her green eyes flashed angrily. "Because I would love a reason to pound someone, but I'd rather it not be you."
"G' 'head." She knew he was purposely taunting her. "Swing 'way. Un goo' punch shoul' do yo' a worl' o' goo'." Even knowing he was needling her she took the swing, he didn't even try to duck and hit the bed as a consequence.
Remy pushed himself up on his forearms, forcing a smile through the slight throbbing in his jaw. "Yo' know…dere are plen'y o' much nicer, an' pleasan'er, ways t' ge' Remy int' yo' be'."
Psyc glared at him. "And you'll be lucky if you're ever in my bed again," Psyc practically snarled as she grabbed the front of his shirt and tried to pull him up off the bed.
Remy knew that he could have resisted Psyc, but chose to cooperate and go where she wanted. As Psyc opened the door to her room, Remy realized where he was going and resisted, a little too late. "Chere, yo' don' really wan' t'…"
"Yes," she interrupted. "I do." She pushed him out the door, slamming it behind him. Remy stumbled backwards running, literally, into Northstar. The other boy chuckled as Remy righted himself.
"She threw you out? Literally threw you out?" He raised an eyebrow as Remy glared. "So…does that mean you two as an item are officially over?"
If he hadn't had his empathy locked tightly behind shields, Remy might have caught Jean-Paul's meaning; instead he slammed the other boy against the wall. "Yo' c'n try t' ge' wid 'er pret'y boy….a'Remy'll blow yo' apar'."
Jean-Paul smirked, puzzling Remy. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of touching Rose, mon ami. She's not my type." Remy released the other boy as his meaning sank in.
"No' in yo' wildes' dreams." Remy's voice held a world of menace. Northstar didn't even flinch…just continued to smirk.
"Care to find out what my wildest dreams are?"
Remy clenched his hand into a fist, then turned and stormed away. Lar'a won' li'e i' if Remy pummels 'er frien' beyon' recognition.
Jean-Paul smiled as he watched Gambit storm away. He slowly let out the breath he'd been holding and, learning from Gambit's mistake, decided to postpone his visit with Larla-Rose. He turned to go back to his room and found himself facing Nick Fury. He jumped.
"You startled me, sir," he offered in explanation.
Fur smiled. " You don't need to explain things to me, Jean-Paul." He jerked his head down the hall and Jean-Paul fell into step with him. "Watch yourself," Fury said after an extended silence. "Larla-Rose may be willing to trust you, but her friend will most likely take time."
"I understand." Jean-Paul's mind was only half on what his "boss" was saying.
"Don't get distracted." Northstar flinched at Fury's subtle rebuke. "And remember…she may be your friend, but your job is still to watch her and make sure she's still with us."
For what seemed the hundredth time, Jean-Paul came to Rose's defense. " How could you doubt her? You said more times than I can count that she was one of the biggest-"
"I know what I said!" Fury snapped, "but she's been away seven years…we have to be careful."
"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Jean-Paul barely managed to keep from screaming at the man. "This is Rose we're talking about!"
"Jean-Paul-"
"No!" Jean-Paul about faced and stomped off, throwing over his shoulder, "I don't want to hear it! She's still Rose…no matter what!"
Jazz stared at the ceiling, hands clasped behind her head, as she stretched out on the bed. Someone rapped hard twice on the door before it was opened. "Are we ready to drop?" she asked, not bothering to look at the person who had entered.
"No, almost, but you have to change before we get there." Jazz heard something hit the floor before the door closed behind the exiting soldier.
Jazz turned to look at the clothing on the floor and groaned. They were nothing but rags. She ad Psyc had dressed in better when they had actually lived on the streets. Sighing she picked up the shirt, gave it one more disgusted look, and changed. She barely had the tattered windbreaker zipped when Psyc's voice sounded in her head.
"C'mon Jazz." Psyc still sounded pissed. "Time to get our 'orders' and get the hell off of this floating monstrosity." Jazz tucked her amusement with the situation as deep in her mind as she could to keep Psyc from seeing it.
They weren't surprised to see that the briefing room was a bland grey with a steel table and chairs. Psyc sat scowling at everyone as Remy reserved his glares for Northstar. Nathan and the General had yet to arrive.
"Well, aren't you all just a party waiting to happen?" Jazz said, coldly sarcastically.
Psyc snorted. "Oh yeah, a real bash." Northstar smiled a little and Remy's scowl depended. Jazz laughed and took a seat, propping her feet up on the table while they waited.
General Fury started talking as soon as he entered the room, Nathan right behind him. "I'm glad to see you're all changed into the clothing we supplied." Everyone but Nathan glared at him and he smiled. "Don't worry, Magneto will give you proper cloths when you get there. All his recruits are given a wardrobe that consists of several copies of a chosen 'uniform'.
"Your back story is simple, and I trust that all of you have sufficient training to keep the truth hidden. You are all refugees from Genosha, an island nation that is infamous for its suppression of mutants. We are going to drop you in the Pacific approximately ten miles outside of the Savage Lands sensors. Since none of you look particularly ragged, especially nutrition wise, we put together a large raft like you would be able to build with the resources available to unknown mutants on Genosha that would be big enough to hold you four and enough provisions so that you would just be running low as you approach. Do not discard the empty containers, they are the 'proof' that you had the provisions." Fury pause to look around the room and Jazz faked a yawn. "Larla-Rose and Jean-Paul have been fully briefed on what is required for this mission. The last thing to do before we drop you is make you look like you came from a not so good home and were on the sea for some time." His smile was slightly evil in Jazzes opinion and she knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say next. "We're going to make your hair uneven your hair, rub in some dirt, and douse you in salt water then dry you repeatedly so you get the nice grainy-briny look and smell about you." Jazz groaned in unison with Psyc and Jean-Paul as the group stood.
"We didn't even let ourselves get that bad when we still lived on the street'" Psyc grumbled in Jazzes mind. Jazz nodded mentally.
"You're the one that wanted to play the good little soldier." Jazz laughed as Psyc mentally flipped her off.
Despite the nervousness inspired by Fury's continued reference to "dropping" them, Remy found himself thinking he would have preferred to have been literally dropped into the waves. The raft was, in fact, huge, it still looked like a classic Tom Sawyer raft, but was big enough to have a tent set up on it with room left to lounge outside it even with the amount of empty provision containers they had been supplied with. He had been shocked to see it even had a large metal square (3ft square) that could be used to build a fire on and a container full of chopped wood and tinder.
The raft had put him at ease about the time they were to spend actually on the water but now he was trying to keep down his lunch. He stood in one corner of the raft, clinging to the rope as the raft swung violently beneath the helicopter as it lowered them to the sea.
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