THE RETURN OF SPIDER-X

CHAPTER 35: GETTING HELP

-Dinner outside of New York City-

A bus stopped in the road as three teens got out one was Mary Jane as she had got in touch with Harry and told him everything. The last was of course Liz who had been with Harry and in no way was going to let him go off alone. So there they were just in the middle of no where near a highway diner. "This is the place?" Liz asked looking around the area.

MJ looked around and the name of the place and the name of the place was the one May told her about. "Yeah I think so."

Harry looked around not seeing anyone waiting outside for them, "So do we just go in an wait?"

The girls looked at each other and just shrugged as they went into the diner, the place didn't look so bad as they sat down at a table there weren't many other people there. A waitress came up to see if they wanted anything they weren't too hungry but they figured a light lunch or something would help to kill time.

It was kind of quiet at the table they pretty much had talked a lot about what they had learned and it had taken Mary Jane an hour to tell Harry everything that she had learned. He didn't want to believe that his father was behind something like this and he wanted to meet them face to face and see what they had to say about this. He knew his dad wasn't the greatest but building killer robots to kidnap people? That seemed to bit far fetched to him.

After about an hour they were getting tired of waiting around and every time the door opened up they looked expecting to see someone they may know like May to show up. By the time they paid for the food they were thinking that maybe they had the wrong place just as they were thinking of leaving the door opened with that little bell ringing.

Mary Jane sat with her back to the door and had to crank her head around to see who it was but when she saw May's appearance with a built man in jeans and dark shirt with a slightly unshaven face she tried to figure out who that was. She remembered Peter talking about a Mr. Logan and wondered if that was the guy he certain fit the description. Big, hairy and with a not so pleased look that somehow seemed to be permanent on his face.

They walked over and they were surprised to see an unfamiliar blonde girl there, "I'm glad you two came but who is this young lady?"

"I'm Liz, I'm going out with Harry and well I was there when MJ broke the news and stuff. I knew Peter from our school as well," She smiled a little nervous as the big man was making her a little on edge as he was looking at her.

"Sorry for the wait but Logan wanted to make sure it was safe," She crossed her arms and glared at the man's paranoid. He just gave a grunt and looked out the window given how things were he felt that it was worth it. "Anyways we're not too far away from here and I think the sooner we leave the better."

She looked at a news report on once more the mutants at the mansion and showed several images of a few of the students there. The teens had seen these and figured it was time to talk in a less public area as they followed the adults.

They wondered out back into the wooded area for about ten minutes until they came to an open area with a black helicopter. They used this place as a landing area since the camp was too far away to walk from there. Sitting there waiting for them was Kitty, Scott and Rogue as Hank was still back keeping an eye on the others with Ororo plus he felt that his appearance may startle the guests they would have.

So he sent Kitty in his place to explain everything they had found out. By the time they got there and sat down Harry was already asking why they thought his own father was behind this. He wanted to know first hand just how they came to that. Kitty showed him the piece that had the logo of his father's company on it and he paled a bit.

It was definitely something this father's company made he knew enough to know the real thing from a fake. He slowly sat down as Kitty gently started to walk him through everything that he had learned. Liz he was thankfully sitting next to him as he listened in on all of this. He had been so sure that his father wasn't involved and now…Now he wasn't sure of anything anymore.

While the others tried to think on what to do after they had finished filling in Harry, Mary Jane saw Rogue sitting off on her own on the ground just kind of lost in her own thoughts. MJ knew how bad she was feeling but seeing her she guessed the fact that Peter dated her she must be feeling even worse. So hadn't really gotten to know her that much when she had seen Peter that day so she figured to might as well try it now.

"Hey…You mind some company?" MJ asked as her, Rogue looked up and thought about it and shrugged. The red head nodded her thanks and sat down next to her. There was kind of an awkward silence between the two of them. "Do you think he's okay?"

Rogue knew who she was talking about, "Ah hope so..." She started to look at her bracelet well the new one at least. She managed to put it on in her room when she was packing up and thankfully it hadn't taken damage in the fight.

Mary Jane looked at it, "Wasn't that a different color last time?"

"It's a different one, tha first kind of broke so Peter made meh a new one."

She looked surprised at it, "He made it? Never thought Peter was into making jewelry."

That got a small smile from Rogue at that and shook her head, "Well he designed it but had a friend built the original." She looked at it again and felt the metal with her bare fingers and sighed, "Still means a lot tam eh, without this then…"

"Then what?" MJ asked her.

Rogue sighed as she started to explain how her powers worked and how at first she couldn't even touch Peter with her bare skin. Mary Jane was shocked at that and felt really sorry for Rogue but kept quiet as she talked on. When she got to the part on Peter making a bracelet that would actually gain her some control.

MJ smiled at that it was so much like Peter to help someone else like that and as she listened to her talk about Peter she heard all the emotion in her voice and at the moment she could tell how much. Sure MJ felt a little something for Peter maybe a crush maybe a bit more she wasn't sure but when Rogue talked she could hear the pain in him not being there.

She couldn't feel jealous at this moment and felt that talking about Peter was helping her out. "You really care don't you," It was a statement then more then a simple question.

Rogue was silent and nodded, "Yeah ah do but…Ah never got ta tell him…" She remembered how he had stayed with her while recovering how she had heard him say that he loved her and how deeply those simple little words meant to her. But she never got the chance to tell him how she felt. She was too scared to open up and now maybe it might be too late.

Mary Jane placed a hand on hers and the two girls looked at each other for a moment and in that moment they had an understanding no matter their feelings about Peter they both missed him and were scared for him and maybe together they could get through it.

"Hey…Did Peter tell you how we first met?" MJ asked her with a small smile since it was a funny story and Rogue shook her head. She grinned knowing that this would be something that Peter would kill her for telling Rogue but she could live with that.

-Osborn Mansion-

Harry couldn't believe he was doing this as he snuck around his own home, thankfully his dad was out and his room would be empty. He knew that his dad kept a personal computer there and if there was anything about the capture mutants it might be on there. That is if his dad had anything to do with it. Personally he wanted to prove his father wasn't that type of person and that it was someone else inside the company behind all of this.

He knew his dad wasn't the best but he did work hard and he couldn't believe that he would do something like he had. Not only that but his best friend Peter was taken as well, sure he and Peter needed to have a major talk eventually but still Peter had always been there for him and Harry was torn now.

On the one hand if they were right it would help save them but it would also mean his dad was a criminal. On the other if his dad was innocent then they may not be able to find Peter and the others.

He had waited to make sure his dad was gone until he walked quietly to his father's room he slowly opened the door and walked inside. It was like all the other rooms large and expensive looking. There was a bed in the back of the room across from the door nearby the door that lead out to a balcony. The large windows had the curtains pulled up as he made his way to the computer at his father's desk.

He sat down in the large padded chair and saw that it wasn't on, he turned on the computer waiting for it to boot up. He was nervous because if anyone saw him he would be in serious trouble. He tried to calm himself and to tell him that no one would come in, the maid wasn't working today and with his dad gone no one should be in here.

After what seemed like forever the computer came on but it was password protected. "Damn it…Come on Dad how many people would break into your computer at home?" He asked himself trying to think of what to type.

He tried his dad's birthday, then his then several versions of his name, of his mother's name, his grandparents and nothing worked. He had been at it for over an hour trying to get access into this. He wished he was better at this kind of thing but he couldn't just hack his way in he didn't know how to do that.

He got up walking around the room trying to figure it out what would his father use as a password? There had to be something as he looked around at the items that he kept around in the room. There were a few items that his father kept in great condition but he saw one of them on a stand in a glass case.

Harry remembered this book that his dad bought at an auction it was an early copy of The Prince by Niccolò di Bernado dei Machiavelli. His father always said that to be great in this world study those that were great in the past. He went back to the computer and typed in the name 'Machiavelli' and to his surprise it worked.

He spent the rest of that time looking through the files he wasn't even sure what he was looking for. He tried searching through them one at a time but there were too many so when he looked up 'mutants' he found several files.

He found images of the Sentinels that had been seen in that attack and then he read about a facility called Site Alpha. There were several updates and then just when he couldn't take it anymore he found one file called 'Parker, Peter'.

With a shaking hand he moved the mouse to it and saw images of him in a tank and a lot of stuff that was over his head but he had seen enough. "Oh god dad…what are you doing…" He felt like he had just been kicked in the gut. He hung his head gripping his head trying to figure out what to do.

His father kidnapped people and was holding them in some lab. He just didn't understand why he was doing this just what kind of man was his father? If he told them about this then they would save them but then his father would most likely go to jail. What was he to do?

How could he betray his father the only family he had left? But he couldn't let those others just left there. He copied down the address of the place trying to figure out what to do now, just what the hell was he going to do?

He quickly shut down everything putting it back to the way it was hoping that his father wouldn't notice. He looked at this watch and swore it had taken him hours more then he thought it would. He quickly went to the door and as he pulled it open came face to face with his father. There was a small moment when they just looked at each other, "Harry is there a reason you are in my room?"

Harry saw that the computer blinked off in the corner of his eye and tried to think of something he had the paper with the address on it in his hand behind him as she carefully put it in his back pocket.

"I wasn't sure if you were back yet and I was just checking if you were here or in another room." He said trying to sound like that's what he was doing and trying to not break out in sweat. Harry could literally hear his heart in his ears.

"Well I'm here so what is it you wanted son?" He eyed his boy.

"Well…I was just wondering with all this mutant talk…I kind of wondered what you thought about them."

He saw his father shift just slightly, "Doesn't matter to me what a person is, after all I'm a businessman and as long as their money is green they could be anyone son. I'm not prejudice against people especially those that could be valued customers." Harry nodded his head putting on a fake smile and went to the door. "Your friend Peter was in that place in Bayville wasn't he?"

Harry froze in the doorway his heart jumping again as he tried to calm himself, "Uh…Yeah he was I guess he was."

"Did you ever know about his more unique side son?"

"No I didn't, he never talked about it."

Norman nodded his head, "I guess you never truly know a person do you son?"

Harry thought about that for a moment looking at his father the man he thought he had known, "Yeah…You're right about that." He said to his father leaving the room. He pulled the paper from his back pocket and looked at the address as he made his way to the elevator. He got in it and lay against the back of it as he rode down.

It would take him some time to get to them with the address of the facility and maybe in that time he could think of what to tell the others in order to save not only them but maybe his dad as well.

-High Security Prison: Location Classified-

It was a high secured prison that only a few on the outside even knew the whereabouts of, featuring thick walls that were several feet thick and a blend of concrete and steel. Reinforced support structure, a legion of both prison guards and an elite unit in case the prisoners got too much for the regular guards.

It was in the middle of nowhere and had sensors in the ground around the complex, lookout towers, razor wire on the walls, and outer perimeter. There were regular patrols on the outside and the inside not to mention thousands of cameras, security locks and doors that would shut off certain areas totally in case a lockdown was needed.

This prison held the most violent and dangerous men and women that the US managed to arrest for different crimes usually many of them. It was a prison designed to not only keep people in but to keep them out and in the long history there had only ever been a few escapes but those criminals usually ended right back up there and no one had escaped twice.

That is until now.

Mystique had flown in as a Raven since who would think of a bird as a security risk? She had been here once before and knew the layout of the place. After she had checked in with the Brotherhood and had quickly left to take up on this mission, and even though Pietro seemed too happy considering his sister was dead she couldn't follow up on her suspicions just yet.

Magneto however wanted to make more humans pay and he was more determined now then ever. He knew that humans would soon declare their war on mutants given how things were going and he was going to help fan the fires. As soon as it was done she would take the Brotherhood to a new base to join the Acolytes and then the real fighting could begin.

She knew the plan but that didn't mean she liked it, after what happened the last time they used him she knew that he couldn't be controlled. But then again it was that quality Magneto seemed to want unleashed.

Mystique quickly turned into a rat to get through the air ducts moving through them quickly. She knew there were sensors and a few cameras but they would just see a rat and send something to deal with it. By the time they got to her location she would be gone and in a new shape.

She eventually found her way to a supply closet and in the dark shifted into a security guard. Opening the door the mutant terrorist made her way pretending like she belonged there. That was a skill she had learned in her years even if you took the form of another you had to sell it make it believable in actions to help with the illusion.

Pretty soon she came upon her first target a security office that would have the man that would be on duty that she would need to imitate to gain access. She opened the door and there sitting at his desk looking like he was checking the containment protocols. A wise thing given what would happen if he woke up.

"Hey there I'm here to relieve you," She told him only in a male voice given the male appearance she had.

The man turned around and then looked at his watch and frowned. "The hell is wrong with you I still got four hours left?"

She just shrugged, "Hey don't bite my head off I was told to come here complain to them not me." The truth was she was just trying to maneuver him and to get how much time she had for a shift change.

He went to the phone on the wall and was about to call up the main office when with blinding speed she leap forward and grabbing the back of his head slammed his skull into the hard wall. He fell back with a small cut on his forehead she bent down and checked. He was still alive but would most likely have a concussion didn't matter to her.

After a little clean up she put him into a small bathroom handcuffed and gagged. She took his pass and since he was still logged into the computer looked up any new security codes and procedures they might have added since last time she didn't to be where she was by being stupid. After that she shifted into his form and walked down the hallway.

The cameras were set up in a time loop so if anyone else was watching they'd just see an empty hall although the door would register when it opened that couldn't be helped. She passed through two heavy security doors before she got to the last one, her palm print would activate that one. The door turned as the room behind it was turning to open up the small hole to line up with the door.

She then stepped into the large mostly empty metal room shifting back into her true form and scowled at the only thing in there in the center of the room. Floating there in a sensory deprivation tank fill with enough sedatives to keep down a herd of elephants into a permanent coma was the man called Juggernaut.

"I can't believe I'm going to let you out again," She said to the floating and sleeping form there. "I let you out last time and you betrayed me and if it were up to me I'd let you rot in that…But you have your uses still."

She walked up close to him grinning knowing he couldn't hear her but it was still nice to gloat, "But know this Juggernaut when you are no longer useful I look forward to sticking you back into this tube and leaving you here for the rest of you life."

She looked at the single control panel there to control the equipment used to keep him in stasis and started to turn off all the sedatives. A warning alarm sounded as he was starting to move. She quickly kicked the panel making sure that it would be too damaged for anyone to stop it.

Mystique knew that he wouldn't be glad to see her so she ran her mission was done and now it was time to get the hell out of there. By then time she reached the once of the opened security doors she heard the smashing sound of glass and large thumping sounds. 'Well know looks like he's awake and frisky, good time for him to use that anger of his.'

NEXT UP CHAPTER 36: THE RESCUE

For those that didn't get the reference Machiavelli is the origin for the word Machiavellian meaning to deceive and manipulate others for gain.