BACK TO SCHOOL
CHAPTER 23: THE VERDICT IS IN
It was a war zone within the court room as the GSA and the Acolytes butted heads with the X-Men caught in the middle. Unfortunately the fighting soon spilled outside and into the crowd of people there. This of course led to panicking in the streets as people tried to get out of the way.
"Professor we got to do something I mean this is just way out of hand," Kitty said seeing how people were getting trampled by others or injured from the fighting going on.
Xavier closed his eyes concentration in order to calm everyone down but the GSA troopers weren't there, it was like they had on a negative space where they should have been and he recognized it as the same thing with Magneto. Most likely their helmets protected them from telepathy, but he moved away from them and went right to the public trying to install calm and reasoning to help keep people from getting hurt.
But there was too much for him too many thoughts and he couldn't shut them down because of all the strain. "I…I can't get through there is just too many of them." He was getting drained from this there wasn't much he felt he could do.
"Okay then we need a plan." Scott took charge and then looked to Kitty and Gale. "Kitty I want you to phase in to any injured people and get them out of there and set them up with Gale and the Professor. The rest of us will have to go in there and try to stop this from getting too bad."
"I'm with one-eye on this one." Logan growled out coming back his clothing torn up and there were still parts that were healing up. Plus the wild look in his eye and fury in them told he was going into that fight no matter what.
Xavier saw this and he knew that they had to do something to help the people there, "Very well but be careful."
The Acolytes were fighting off the GSA with full force, Magneto tried to move the man in the combat armour but there seemed to be little metal at all in them. 'They obviously were prepared for this,' He thought to himself narrowing his eyes. He didn't like that but he would think of this later, they seemed to be firing non-lethal rounds at the moment. He was hit by several plastic bullets the kind that are used in Israel.
They hurt like hell when they hit but they weren't lethal, Magneto with his powers had the car doors of a nearby vehicle cover him like a shield. He concentrated and found that one of them hadn't removed all the metal one of the grenade he had on still had a metal tag. He grinned as he pulled it out, a few seconds later the soldiers and those near him were thrown from the concussive force of the stun grenade.
Their armour helped but the one soldier wasn't getting up with his ribs broken and others in various injuries. At this point Joshua started to step up to him, "I'll handle this one get the others." He ordered the troops and they went without hesitation.
He grinned to himself this was pretty fun being the main man in charge. He could definitely get used to this, "Okay Magneto you're going to have to do a lot better then that with me."
Magneto threw a piece of metal at him but it stopped, Joshua threw out a hand as it controlling it. His mutant energy field was invisible to the naked eye but he could feel it. He turned the metal to Magneto and then threw it back at him twice as hard. Magneto tore it in two letting the pieces fly past him, "A mutant…You would betray your own kind?"
"Hey, no mutant never did me no favours I went from street punk to Government agent in a day. Got me a nice suit, big cash and I get to kick ass and it's totally legal. What's not to like?" The GSA agent grinned walking forward. "So let's do this old man, because anything you throw at me I can throw back with some extra."
Pyro and Sabertooth were having the time of their lives at the moment. Sabertooth was moving through the troops throwing them around like rag dolls. He leaped onto one GRSO soldier then took his leg threw him into several people as they landed into civilians.
Pyro was making large flame monsters laughing like a mad man, "Oh this is a great day! So many flammable things and to kick the arses of so many, I love my job!"
The GRSO uniforms were designed to resist many different environments and heat was one of them. Although they did get pretty warm and too much exposure would get through the suits eventually. Pyro was making giant flammable fists when and was going to cover the troops when he was knocked off his feet.
He landed a few feet away skipping a moment and shook his head. "Ow…What hit me?" He looked up hearing a large thumping sound seeing Colossus' form looking over him. "Oh hell…Come on mate you wouldn't harm an old buddy huh?"
"We were never 'friends' and I can't let you harm any more people," He gripped the flame throwers on his wrists and crushed them. Pyro yelled out several colourful obscenities at that more for the loss of his precious flame throwers then anything else.
Static and Scanner were moving through the GRSO soldiers, Scanner with her abilities bent light around her to make her invisible when she got up close she grabbed one and sent an electrical surge through that suit. The suit was insulated but the soldier still felt part of the voltage.
Static was trying to do the same but she wasn't as fast and got a kick to her stomach. She went down to her knees and was about to get a rifle butt to the head he was taken down by Rocky. "Get up and fight girl!" he shouted and ran full on into the troops.
By now more of the X-Men were getting involved in the fight Kitty was phasing into the crowds and was able to help someone that looked like they had a broken arm to Gale and went back for more. Jean and Scott were working together given that Scott had to be careful with no real control without his visor.
So far he was trying to aim for Toad but he was hard to hit when he have to close his eyes for a few seconds. "Jean a little help here." He asked and she held out her hand stopping him in mid air, Toad tried to move but couldn't. The next moment he was hit with an optic blast sending him through the air.
"Hold it right here mutant!" A few GRSO pointed their weapons as the two young adults.
"Hey we're not the bad guys here!" Scott tried to reason with them but they didn't seem to want to listen they only took aim with their rifles.
"I don't think they're going to listen to us Scott," Jean told him sending out a TK wave knocking them back. The fight was even more interesting now as GRSO soldiers would mainly focus on the Acolytes but some of them would go for X-Men at times as well. Kitty was nearly hit with tasers but phased herself out of harms way.
Beast picked up those two and tossed them aside, "Sorry gentlemen but you are targeting the wrong mutants at this time. May I suggest you redirect your efforts to those currently not helping the civilians or attacking them?"
The two GRSO got up and took a cylinder device and with a swing they extended into foot long weapons with a few sparks from an electrical discharge. Beast guessed they weren't the reasoning type as both ran forward.
He kept on dodging their attacks not wanting to see how powerful those stun batons were. He jumped over their heads and twisted in mid air landing behind them. He jumped a bit and grabbed them both by the back of their uniforms as he landed on his back. "Sorry about this but you leave me precious little choice in the matter."
Beast kicked out launching the two soldiers out of harms way.
Logan was going at it with Sabertooth as the two old enemies were fighting like they usually did, in a no holds bare street brawl. The Acolyte Rocky was fighting a group but what he didn't know was that he was being lured into a trap before he knew it he had several troops surrounding him.
He made a break for it but one of them caught him in the ribs with a stun baton. It stung like hell but thanks to his rock like skin it didn't drop him. Unfortunately for him it didn't end with just one attack, the others charged in like sharks smelling fresh blood.
More and more times he was hit with the weapons and the stinging started to turn into a more painful sensation as more and more electrical currents were sent into his system. He tried to fight back swinging wildly and managed to hit one trooper in the helmet.
The helmet broke as the man fell to the ground out cold, but it wasn't enough he was sent to his knees and yet they still pressed on. He eventually blacked out from pain and fell to the ground.
Magneto was impressed with this mutant's power he obviously could throw back any physical attack. 'Well then let's see if you got a weight limit,' He thought and saw a bus near by picking it up with his powers he brought it over and threw it at the GSA man.
Joshua froze for a moment he had never tried to reflect anything that large before. He threw up his hands feeling his power strain from it. He buckled a bit and it was slowing down but not stopping. He reflected it thought it passed over him.
He didn't care where it landed although it was landing to several police and civilian group. They ran in vain but it was obvious it was going to hit. But it stopped in mid air leaving those stunned as to what stopped it. A news camera man who was taping this looked around and pointed his camera to Jean. He was there arms wide out with a heavy strain on her face as she was slowly moving the bus aside.
Magneto could see that Joshua had tired from that and grinned knowing the other had limits after all. He looked for another object but he noticed that his Acolytes weren't fairing well in fact one of them were down and with the GRSO and X-Men they had more then they could handle.
He frowned at the scene this was supposed to have been an easy mission so he hadn't used more of his experienced members. Magneto hated to do this but he had to call it in if he wanted to save any more of his mutants. "Acolytes I believe our point has been made regroup!"
The Acolytes wasted no time in regrouping as Magneto called down his spheres. "Let this be remembered that mutants will not stand by and be willingly be slaughtered. We can and will fight back this I promise you all." He proclaimed to the crowd making a makeshift barrier of various metal from the surrounding area.
With the cover in place they stepped into the spheres except for Rocky who they would have to leave behind. There was nothing they could do they were overwhelmed this time but Magneto made planes to deal with this GSA at one point and he wouldn't be caught off guard a second time.
When Magneto left now it was just the GSA and the X-Men, Joshua walked up to them. "Alright all of ya are coming in with us!"
"What!" Gale asked as she was healing up a stranger on the ground. "We were helping for crying out loud! And you guys attacked us for no reason!"
"Doesn't matter, the GSA handles mutant problems this not a vigilante team. Now you can come in quietly or we can do this the fun way." He grinned at them as they looked ready to fight. He hoped so then he could legally take them in a bit more and he knew his boss would love to have these guys. He knew that the Director didn't like mutants but he liked ones like the X-Men even more so given their public image.
Bringing them in would make the pale man happy or as happy as he got.
There was a tense moment with everyone there even the crowd had mixed reactions. This whole thing had been tapped by news cameras and even now the X-Men were on center stage again. Some like the FOH were demanding the mutants be locked up for the safety of everyone there others were too scared and didn't know what to think. Other had seen the X-Men helping out injured people and a few of them were speaking up as well.
It was a very tense situation and Xavier could see this and closed his eyes and bowed his head. If they fought this then they would show that all mutants know it violence and even though he didn't like this GSA they were a legal part of the Government. Plus there could be violent means to all of this as well if they fought and people would just get hurt.
He put a hand on Scott's arm and his oldest student looked at him in surprise knowing he was asking him to stand down. "We'll comply for now,"
"What?" Logan roared out, he didn't like the looks of these guys or what they would do.
"There has been enough violence today and more people would just get hurt." He told them all and he put his authority behind it. The X-Men reluctantly stood down they wouldn't put up a fight at least not this time.
Joshua grinned as he turned to the GRSO troops, "Okay put a collar on that one," He pointed to Rocky who was still unconscious and then he pointed to the X-Men. "And don't forget them as well."
People watched on as the troops put on a collar to the grey mutant and hauled him away. Then as other troops came to them with collars people could see how some of them were putting on brave faces but others weren't so lucky. Kitty was holding Piotr's hand tightly as the soldiers came forward.
'Scott do we have to do this?' Jean asked as a trooper was opening a collar.
Scott sighed not liking this at all, 'The Professor had a point we can't go up against them not like this. We do and the public will view us as criminals. I just hope we can get out of this.'
Thankfully everyone was stopped as a few black helicopters came overhead. One of them opened up and several figures jumped out but as they got closer people could see that several of these people were wearing uniforms and one of them was carrying a man with an eye patch.
Logan grinned seeing Fury and it seemed it brought along some back-up with X-Force members as well. Joshua had been briefed on certain things and SHIELD had been one of them. What they were doing here he didn't know. But the man didn't like it as he marched right up to Fury.
"What the hell is SHIELD doing here?"
Fury stared at the man hard he wasn't about to be pushed around by some kid half his age if not more so. "I was watching the news and I decided to offer SHIELD's help in matters." He grinned at him, in fact he had known something would happen and had his people ready.
He wished he had gotten here more quickly but the only field for his people to set up had been too far away for his tastes. He was about to abort when he had seen a live news feed on the way here about what these GSA guys were going to do. He didn't like this organization they were an unknown to him and from he could get from their Director he wasn't a good man either.
Lots of gaps in the personal history of that man and that spoke volumes to the old soldier a lot of 'off the books' work that's for sure.
Fury hated not knowing things like this and he didn't like the way these people did business. They seemed to go out hunting any mutant out there no matter what it seemed. Plus he had some issues with the X-Men given the bungling with the Spears building but he also liked to keep them in play.
Besides he knew that Logan would owe him one and that was something he was going to collect one day as well. Plus he really didn't like these guys or what they stood for so getting in their faces was also a good thing in his book.
"We don't need any 'help' in this," Joshua told him.
Fury looked him dead in the eye, "Let me tell you something right now. You are not taking in the X-Men, I saw what was going on here and they were helping out. We've also had dealings with them and also I'm higher up on the food chain then you too. So either you can let them go or my own team and yours will have a fight on public television."
Joshua glanced to his left seeing a few cameras pointed his way and he clenched his fist. "Fine…But we're keeping the Acolyte he was captured by us and was part of this attack."
"Fine by me," Fury told him he knew that he would have to throw him a bone to keep him happy personally he didn't care about the mutant terrorist at the moment anyway.
With that the GSA agent called off his men and they started to leave the area the other mutants were glad that Fury was here although Logan knew why. He knew how Fury did things that only benefited SHIELD and the only reason he would come to bail them out would be so they would owe him.
He wasn't looking forward to that because Fury would always collect on his favours.
Xavier came up to Fury as he was giving out orders to the rest of his people. "Alright secure the area and someone try to find out where the hell Spears went off to. We need to get him into protective custody given Magneto is hot on his ass."
"Well Colonel Fury I must say that I'm relieved that you came." Xavier smiled politely at him. "I was afraid that our last altercation left any friendship with your organization in jeopardy."
"Yeah well things happen, besides I don't like this GSA group. They got some backing by people I don't really like and there is more to them then they let on." He looked as the last of the GRSO unit climbed into an armoured transport and slowly made their way through the area.
"Yes but I do thank you."
"Sir!" A SHIELD operative came running up to him, "Sir we found Spears, but it's too late. He was found in an alley not too far from here with several gun shots. He's dead sir."
"Damn it!" Fury yelled out and Xavier knew this would only make things worse now. The fact that Spears was killed wouldn't go well with mutants. "I want every thing you can on the area, get a crime scene team there ASAP and I want anything you can find. Witnesses, any video footage of the area either from a traffic light to a bank machine. You better get me something!"
Fury sighed feeling a large headache coming on, 'This just won't end well if we can't find out who did this.'
NEXT UP CHAPTER 24: BACKLASH