The Purpose of Hope
Chapter Five
By: Lily Handle
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Author's Note: So, Wolvie's Fan was the only person who got the cookie! Last chapter referenced Jason Bourne and the Treadstone Project. In case you were curious I was watching that movie while writing that chapter. I'd also like to thank Flight of Silence Wings and Madisonavenue for the reviews, glad you're enjoying the story. Now, onto chapter five!
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Victor Creed stalked through the Montana wilderness, his nose to the wind. It had taken him a long time to track down his prey, but if his plan worked it would be worth it. Creed had heard the runt had a new lady in his life months ago. It was an interesting piece of new to Creed and he'd started sniffing around. To his chagrin the runt had hooked up with the pretty little doctor. The pretty little doctor who wouldn't last five minutes if he could get her alone. That was proving to be difficult. The doctor was either always locked up in the Institute or with the runt. So, Creed had to find a way to get the pretty little doctor out by herself or a way to get in. All he needed was a little distraction and he could just snatch the pretty little doctor up.
He crouched low behind some bushes and watched the guards pace outside the heavy security prison. So, maybe he wasn't after a small distraction.
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Hope rubbed at her eyes then took a moment to stretch. It seemed like she'd been reading about allergens and various causes for comas for days. She and Hank rarely left the infirmary or the lab and what frustrated Hope the most was that they were getting no where. Oh, sure, they weren't completely stuck. The more ideas she and Hank came up with the more tests Hank could run on the blood samples and the more things were eliminated. She was waiting right now for Hank to finish testing for blood poisoning. They had ruled out Zone for the possible place for where the students had come in contact with the allergen. Bobby had never been inside the place, so he couldn't have gotten it from there. And Hank had run every test he could think of on the specialty green apple soda and found nothing, so that door was closed. But it was encouraging that no one else had gotten sick in almost two days.
Still the next step for them to take was unclear. Hope had suggested asking fellow researchers in mutant genetics for help to Charles, who had politely told her no. It seemed ludicrous to her that he would turn down such a valuable source of information. In a surgery when she didn't know what to do, she called for a consult or turned the case over because the other surgeon could do what she couldn't. It just made sense. She'd bit her tongue on the issue though and defaulted to Charles. He did run the place after all.
Still, Hope found herself glancing at the phone. She could call just one person, it wouldn't be that big of a step over the line. Yes, she was researching and yes, Hank was testing but there had to be more. And one phone call could have Hope doing more. Or at least getting her out of this rut she was stuck in. Hope reached for the phone and dialed quickly, before she talked herself out of it. She'd have to be clever and careful about her questions, but if she managed to avoid mentioning anything about the Institute, she would be fine.
"Director Edwards!" Hope said excitedly when the Director for the Center of Disease Control picked up the phone, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
"Of course not, Dr. Chandler, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I've been doing a little digging into some CDC files," Hope paused, glancing over her shoulder when she heard the door open. She held up one finger when Logan raised an eyebrow at her, "I just have a couple of questions for you."
"Oh, what cases? I could direct you to the lead investigators."
"Thank you, but really they're just some general questions and I figured you'd be the best person to help me."
"What kind of cases, Doctor?"
"Anaphylactic reactions."
"An interesting choice, so what's the situation?"
"It's more like I'm curious about your investigative method for them. What's the standard procedure?"
"Like any case, we try to find the common connection. If the patients all have the same reactions, we find what they all have in common."
"Yes, that's quite obvious, but what tests would you use?" Hope grabbed her pen and start writing in the margin of the journal she had been reading before taking a break. "Well, thank you, Director Edwards, you've answered so many questions for me."
"Anytime, Dr. Chandler." Hope spent a few minutes idly chit-chatting with the director and faked an excuse to hang up.
"So, I distinctly remember Chuck saying you weren't supposed to call your buddies," Logan said, watching her with his arms across his chest.
"And did you notice I didn't say anything pertaining to the Institute?" Hope pointed out, "Look, I'm stuck, Logan. Hank and I are scraping the bottom on the idea barrel here."
"So, you're stuck, give it a couple of days and you'll be spouting ideas faster than you can write them down," Logan shrugged, "You always do."
Hope sighed and ran a hand over her hair, "I don't know, it's just," Hope paused and shook her head.
"You gonna finish that thought?"
"It's all guess work, Logan. Even my own theories aren't helping. I've got no previous cases to look at, I've got no one I can call, thanks to Charles and the second I think of another idea, Hank runs a test and shoots it down."
"Sounds like typical frustration to me, Doc," Logan said, reaching out and rubbing her shoulders.
"It's doctoral frustration, that means someone could die."
"Done with kicking yourself yet?"
Hope rolled her eyes, "Yes. Now, what brings you to visit my little prison?"
"You missed lunch," Logan dropped a brown bag onto the counter, "Again."
"What?" Hope glanced at the clock, "Jesus, three in the afternoon already?"
Logan shook his head at her then leaned forward and kissed her, "Start wearing a watch with an alarm. I've got students to whip into shape, and don't skip dinner too."
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Jean stuck her head into the infirmary, checking to make sure it was empty. For once Hope wasn't in there. She slipped inside and walked over to Scott's bed. It wasn't like she minded Hope, but Jean wanted a minute alone with Scott, which she hadn't been able to have. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and ran her hand through it.
"Oh Scott," She sighed, "Hope and Hank are trying everything they can. You'll be back in no time." She leaned down and kissed him softly, "Just hang in there, okay? I promise I'll bring you back."
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Hope pushed her dinner around with her fork, her mind still in the basement of the Institute, reading articles and sharing theories with Hank. She half heartedly ate some salad when she noticed Logan watching her. Before coming to the Institute she had lived out of vending machines when working. She could miss a few meals. Her head snapped up when she heard a deep gasp.
"Toad!" Blob yelled as Toad collapsed forward onto the table. Hope was up in a second, running around the table for the boy.
"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to him," Blob said as Hope dropped to her knees next to the boy.
"Well, I intend to keep that promise," Hope reassured him. She pulled an epi-pin from her jacket pocket and rolled up the sleeve of Toad's shirt, "Jean, Kitty, go get a bed ready. Logan, carry him for me."
"I got it," Lance said, pushing around Logan and picking up Toad. Everyone froze as the alarm started wailing away.
"Doc, you stay here, take care of Tolensky there, everyone else, get suited up," Logan ordered, and the students scrambled, "Lance, you take Tokensky down to the Infirmary and meet us in the hanger, you're team's coming too."
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Creed carelessly tossed the dead guard away and walked into the high tech cell holding Juggernaut. He smashed the control panel and watched the green fluid recede. In Creed's opinion Mystique had been stupid when she had freed Juggernaut the first time. She had expected the monster to easily bend to her will and just to whatever she order. Creed knew better. Juggernaut was going to do things his own way and that's exactly what he wanted. With the runt and the other X-men distracted by Juggernaut he would have the perfect opportunity to snatch up the pretty litter doctor. It worked out even better that some epidemic as spreading through the students. Now the chances of them getting Juggernaut's helmet off were less. He stepped back out of the way when he noticed Juggernaut was waking up. Juggernaut's eyes slowly opened and he pulled his chains free. With a single kick he shattered the glass and stepped out of what use to be his cell.
He noticed Creed right away, "What do you want?"
Creed crossed his arms over his chest, "Nothin', just doin' you a favor."
"Huh," Juggernaut snorted, "Right." Turning his back on Creed, Juggernaut walked over to the wall near the door and slammed his fist into a control panel. He then ripped the wall opened and pulled out his helmet.
"The X-men will be on there way here. If you move fast enough you can be a safe distance away before that happens," Creed offered the advice lazily, "And I think you should."
"No one asked you," Juggernaut growled, locking the helmet into place.
"Well, you want ta get captured now, be my guest, buddy, but if you wait you can attack the Institute directly." Juggernaut growled again and took a step towards Creed, who held his ground and growled right back, "They're sick, the students. Somethin's puttin' em in comas. That leaves your little brother without his little army for protection. You can waltz right in and take him out."
"Why are you helping me?" Juggernaut snapped.
"Why does it matter if you get what you want?"
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Standing outside the ruined prison, Logan looked over the damage, "It's definitely Sabretooth I'm smellin' Chuck," He said into the communicator.
"Do you think he's teamed up with Cain?" Charles asked, sounding worried.
"Don't know, doesn't seem like somethin' either of them would do. Creed's not exactly a team player."
"And Cain has always preferred to be alone," Charles considered for a few minutes, "Have you found him yet?"
"Got the students lookin', but I'm bettin' he's long gone. And there's no sign of Creed either," Logan looked towards the door, "I could do a little searching by myself if you want, Chuck."
"No, no, with Cain loose it would be best if everyone stayed close to the Institute."
"Yes, and we'll start working on upgrading the security. If he finds out that the students are ill and our numbers are weakened, he'll take full advantage of the situation."
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Author's Note: Dum-dum-dum! I bet you all were wondering when I was going to introduce the B-plot. Well, here it is! Evil Creed and evil Juggernaut!