Washington D.C., USA
Immediately after.
Marc dropped out of the tree and walked away after erasing the last conversation from Luke's memory. He was about to turn the corner onto the main road when a black Suburban pulled up beside him. The mental voice that came from within was not immediately recognisable, as it was vibrating with suppressed rage and anger.
Get in!
He grabbed the door handle and hauled open the door, trusting the people – whoever they were – inside. If they weren't friendly, he could escape.
The tinted windows prevented a lot of sunlight from entering the car, and Marc couldn't see who was inside. The seating configuration was different, with three seats facing backwards, and three in the extreme back of the car facing forward. This looked to be an official car, but for what group, he couldn't tell. He tried to mentally reach out and find out who he was with, but he couldn't.
"Psychic inhibitors, young Marc. Seeing as you can't be trusted not to go round erasing the memories of anyone you don't like." Scorn poured from the voice, a familiar voice that Marc had wanted to hear for so long.
"Martha?"
"That's Mrs. McGuiness to you, boy!" she barked. "Tell me: what gives you the right to go round abusing your powers like that!"
"I-"
"That boy may have had something to do with the attack on the embassy and your parents, but the Police and the FBI deal with this, not you! And threatening to torture him! Are you out of your mind?"
Marc didn't know what to say. This was his teacher, his psychic tutor, se opinion he valued highly. And she looked ready to kill him. Suddenly couldn't justify his actions to her. His head dropped.
"How did you know?"
"I asked for a special surveillance of you, knowing your abilities, in light of the attack. General Fury granted it to me, wisely, it would now seem. Do you have any idea how disappointed in you I am, Marc?"
"Yes," he said, in a small voice.
"It was S.H.I.E.L.D. that requested Alpha Flight involvement, and Northstar's instructions were not to let anyone into your mother's room. Including you. We figured, rightly, that you would go off seeking revenge. And now I listen in to a conversation in which you threaten to torture someone in exchange for the name of a man who cannot be touched at all." She shook her head, aghast.
"When the police find out it was because I'm a mutant, how much interest do you think they'll take then?" asked Marc bitterly.
"This attack was on an accredited diplomat, you young fool, not on a mutant. You may have been the target, but it was a diplomat they hurt, not a mutant. As far as the FBI's concerned, it's a diplomatic matter, not a mutant affair. Dr. McCoy form the Mutant Affairs Department will be giving a briefing to the president later on to explain the true nature of this attack. The State department is still waiting for an official response from Canada."
"They'll get that soon enough," said Marc quietly.
"Indeed," she said, still angry.
"What do you mean, can't be touched?" asked Marc, remembering her previous comments.
"Graydon Creed is the leader of the Friends of Humanity, a right-wing human-supremacy group based in Washington. They enjoy the favours of a few Senators, but their power is really very limited. To accuse him of this, now, might undo the work that Dr. Henry McCoy has been doing over the past few years to bring mutant rights to the forefront of political and social debate. And the last thing anyone needs is a rogue sixteen-year-old mutant out for retribution."
"Okay, I get the picture, the bigger picture," said Marc crossly. "But a diplomatic incident won't stop the attacks, the hatred, the prejudice."
"Actually, Marc, you're slightly wrong," said Martha. "S.H.I.E.L.D. believes that if there were to be diplomatic retribution, especially from a nation like Canada, it might get the President to bring the lobbying groups to heel. He can't afford to lose the support of Canada and other nations in the UN, especially on the Security Council. This is being classed as a joint terrorist attack, and diplomatic incident. It gets the best of both worlds. The FBI Counter-Terrorism Unit is using its resources to find out who was behind the attack– it's extremely unlikely that Graydon Creed was behind this attack personally –and the diplomatic pressure will force the President to act in favour of Mutants. It's a win-win situation for you, and mutants in general. And that is why I was not about to let you mess the whole thing up."
Marc had followed her reasoning, and had to admit that all the bases had been covered. He sat back.
"Now, Professor Xavier and Jean are looking for you, so I'll drop you off nearby. And remember, don't interfere."
She flipped the psychic inhibitors off, and Marc felt his awareness rush back. He immediately felt the contact of the Professor's and Jean's minds, and jumping out of the car, he made his way over to stand by the Professor. His expression was grim.
"Erik was at the Committee meeting in the crowd, and he's definitely planning something. Whatever you did, or didn't do, Marc, I will speak to you about later. We must go. Storm and Cyclops will have brought the other two back from Canada by now. I want to see how they settle in."
The drive back to the mansion was silent. However, a three-way telepathic conversation brought the Professor and Jean up to speed on what Marc had done, and found out.
---
Ottawa, Canada.
That same time.
"Issue the recall order," said the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. "I want Duchaine and his wife at home and in a proper hospital as soon as possible. Those Americans want to attack the embassy? Lets see how well they respond to the loss of the ambassador."
"Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been liaising with the FBI and other anti-terrorist officials. I have their preliminary report here," said the deputy, handing the senior man a thin folder. He took it, and quickly scanned the pages inside. "Marc? What the hell…? Oh, that's right, he's gifted. Well, that puts a new face on it, but it doesn't change the course of action."
"Bring the Ambassador home, and let Washington sweat."