The airplane took them directly to the C.I.A landing strip at the base in Virginia. It was mostly desolate, with a few lone agents scuttling about. The air was mild and a touch humid, surprising for the time of year, but not so bad as to have something to complain about. The afternoon sun was shining brightly overhead, warming the tarmat under the plane's wheels and soon to be under the young women's feet.
Fern was back in her gloves and jacket, something she had shed whilst on the plane. She'd thrown on a baseball cap for good measure and let Raven take the lead after they bid the pilot goodbye. With her bag slung over her back, the taller woman followed the blonde out of the plane.
"So, we're about to meet Agent Sullivan," Raven explained as they made their way down the air stairs. She glanced over her shoulder. "You'll like him, he's really nice."
"Is he a mutant?"
"No, but he likes them. He's nice."
The grey girl lifted a doubtful brow. "The nicer you say he is, the worst I expect, you know that, right?"
Before she could respond to Fern's suspicion, a faint call of "Ladies!" broke their mutual frowning. Raven turned toward the voice, not noticing the other mutant eying her warily, before Fern looked toward the sound as well.
A plump man in a black suit was coming toward them in a golf cart. He was grinning widely, his dark eyes hidden behind spectacles and his hair perfectly parted as he stopped the vehicle.
"Agent Sullivan," Raven greeted him with a smile. "Good to see you again."
The agent in black returned her sentiment as he shook her delicate hand. "Likewise, Ms. Darkholme. How was the flight?"
"Long."
"I bet." Agent Sullivan lifted his gaze to the brunette behind the blonde. Most of her features were hidden under her baseball cap, with only her luminous blue eyes gleaming out at him. From what he could tell, her skin was completely scaled except for her lips (which were pursed) and she seemed to radiate nervous energy. Her appearance was jarring, but not wanting to make her uncomfortable, he steeled his surprise as best he could. He offered Fern his hand with a smile. "You must be Ms. Ailey."
"Must be," The girl teased with a hint of a smirk. She kept her lips purposely close together, not wanting to scare the seemingly nice man off with her sharp teeth.
His handshake was firm but not so tight as to be painful or an attempt at dominance. She liked that, just as she liked his lack of reaction to her admittedly outlandish features. A more genuine simper tugged at her mouth as he offered to take her bag.
"I think I can handle it." Licking her lips (and flashing a very pink tongue in the process), Fern shifted the weight on her back. "We're staying in your division, right?"
Agent Sullivan nodded. "That you are, Ms-"
"Call me Fern."
"Fern," The pudgy man repeated with an ill repressed grin. "Call me Blake. If you'll follow me, ladies, I can show you to your quarters. Ms. Salvadore's been waiting for you."
As he turned to led them to the golf cart, Fern gave Raven's hip a gentle check with her own. When the blonde arched a brow, the grey girl smirked. "And you thought I'd have trouble making friends."
Raven scoffed and gave her a playful shove toward the cart.
After a tour that could only be described as excruciatingly long and unnecessary, Agent Sullivan eventually took them to the break room turned meeting area. The only person in the room was a young woman dressed, much like the agent, all in black. She grinned as they entered.
"Finally!" Angel gushed as she tossed the magazine she had been reading aside. "Took you long enough, Raven."
"We got caught up with the welcoming brigade," Raven explained as she accepted a hug from the shorter girl.
As the two said their hellos, the lithe brunette turned to the Agent in black. Fern adjusted her hat and she asked if he could show her to a telephone.
"I'd be happy to, but I think there's someone who'd like to meet you first." Agent Sullivan tipped his head toward Angel, who was smiling at them.
Thus Fern was forced to face yet another person who was entirely too excited to meet her. Angel Salvadore was a beautiful young woman around her age, with light brown skin and dark eyes lined with dark make up. Her gaze was more curious than alarmed, something Fern appreciated, but the shorter girl made no move to shake her hand.
Eying the gloves on the new comer's hands, Angel asked, "How was the flight?"
"Informative," The grey girl replied with a smirk.
"Well, it wouldn't have been so informative if you didn't spend the entire time in the cockpit," Raven cut in, enjoying the ripple of embarrassment that coursed through Fern's scales at her teasing.
Angel's brows shot up. "Woah! How'd you do that?"
"Do what?" The taller brunette cocked her head with false naivety, hoping the girl would drop the subject.
Angel did not. "That thing with your skin!"
Fern rubbed the back of her neck. Her skin wavered, the muted colors swirling with frustration. This wasn't exactly an abnormal conversation for her. "It just does that sometimes. Sorry, I know it throws some people off."
"Miss Ailey." Recognizing the girl's discomfort, Agent Sullivan stepped in. A careful hand on Fern's back, he offered her a crooked grin. "Perhaps it's time you make that phone call. I can introduce you to Hank afterwards."
As they turned and left the break room, the mutant pursed her lips before licking her teeth. "I really don't want to meet him."
Agent Sullivan glanced down at the girl's stern features. "He's not that bad. A little awkward, but a nice guy."
"We don't have to get physicals, do we?"
"Not that I know of."
"Good." Fern nodded and let her tense features mellow somewhat.
Hoping to change the girl's mood, the man changed the subject, "You're from Tennessee, right?"
Fern nodded, "Boone Lake. It's a pretty small town." She gave one of the men they passed a wide berth. "I don't think I've seen so many people in one place before- I mean, not since I was a kid, anyway."
"Really?" Agent Sullivan blinked in surprise. There were maybe a dozen people in the hall, not nearly enough to be considered many by any means. Still, he supposed with Fern's condition, it only made sense the young woman avoided certain social aspects. He offered her a friendly smile. "Well, no one will bother you here, and if they do, they'll answer to me."
He held the door to his office open for her. Fern stared at him a long moment, but let her features blossom into a grin of her own. "Thank you."
"You are most welcome, young lady." The Agent in black inclined his head respectfully. "Now, why don't I go fetch Hank and give you and whoever it is you're calling some privacy?"
The girl nodded before she stepped into the office. "Thanks."
It was clean and smelled faintly of cologne mixed with coffee. She dropped her bag at the door before venturing further in. With a hint of amusement tugging at her lips, Fern looked over the various degrees and awards that lined the wall. There weren't many, but there were a few for going above and beyond the call of duty and she had to admit, she was impressed. Other than that, however, there wasn't much. Nothing seemed to indicate he had any sort of family or loved ones and the girl felt a twinge of sadness for the good natured man who had guided her in and done his best to make her comfortable.
Fern plucked the handle from the receiver and made to call her mother. Her fingers didn't fit in the dial. Cursing whoever invented rotary phones, the girl pulled her gloves off with her teeth. They fell to the desktop without second thought. She jabbed at the dial and bared her teeth at it when her fingertip stuck to the rim of it. Her pointed fingernail was just barely too short to spin the dial. With a huff, she pulled open the desk drawer and grabbed the first pen she saw. Scowling, she began to tick off her phone number with the capped end of it.
Josie answered on the first ring. "Hello?"
"Well someone's eager," Fern teased.
"Ha ha," Her mother replied sarcastically. Excitement painfully obvious in her tone, she asked, "How was your flight? Have you met any other mutants yet? What's the weather like? You didn't pack enough. I should've made you pack more."
The girl rolled her eyes, but didn't resist grinning at the woman's obvious worry. "The flight was fine. I've met one other girl and I'm supposed to meet some doctor guy any minute now."
"What kind of doctor?"
"A mutant one, apparently."
With a hint of confusion, Josie asked, "Like, a doctor of mutants or a mutant who is a doctor?"
"The second one."
"Well, ain't that swell." There was nothing but sincerity in Josie's words.
Fern felt her voice catch as a few seconds of silence lingered between them. She could practically feel the distance and it weighed on her a moment before she spoke again, "And I packed plenty, thank you."
"Oh, you did not!" Her mother snapped playfully at her. "Underwear and jeans ain't enough for anything."
A bit bristled, the young woman shot back, "They're all you wear."
"Well I'm not trying to impress anybody."
"Neither am I, so what?"
"So you could meet a nice young fella while you're there," Josie replied innocently, unable to see how hard Fern rolled her eyes at that. "Then what? You're just gonna woo him in your skivvies and baseball cap?"
"Maybe I will!" The grey girl giggled.
"Maybe you'll have to more like."
A faint knock on the door interrupted Fern's comeback. Agent Sullivan poked his head inside and made to leave when he realized she was still on the phone. The mutant held up a hand and stood up straighter. Talking into the receiver, she told her mother she had to go.
"Okay, be safe, baby."
"Thanks, you too. Love ya, Ma."
"Love you too, darlin'. Try not to bite anybody."
"Yeah, whatever."
Josie chuckled before she hung up.
Fern held the receiver to her ear a bit longer than necessary. She already missed the sound of her mother's voice, but squared her shoulders and grabbed her gloves as Agent Sullivan ushered a young man inside.
It was the same one Charles had shown her. Tall and skinny and a touch too pale, Hank visibly faltered at the sight of the young woman beside the desk. Both Charles and Blake had warned him about her skin, but he hadn't expected her to have such a dramatically inhuman appearance.
Fern didn't like him. Perhaps it was the pristine white lab coat he was wearing or how anxiously he was adjusting his glasses, but she didn't like him. It was judgmental and petty, she knew, but the young woman didn't particularly care. She tugged her leather gloves on and crossed her arms in a defensive, insolent manner.
"You must be Fern," The scientist assumed, moving toward her with an outstretched hand.
Interest gleamed in his blue eyes and for every step forward, Fern took one back until she was eventually around the other side of the desk. Practically beside Agent Sullivan in the doorway, she replied with a curt, "You can call me Miss Ailey."
"Oh." He flinched somewhat, but was quick to reply, "Well, you can call me Hank."
"What's your last name?"
"Uh, McCoy?"
Fern nodded curtly. "Let's stick with that." At the Agent's gentle, encouraging nudge, she rolled her eyes and added, "For now."
Hank smiled with a hint of dejection in his features. "Very well. Agent Sullivan has asked me to show you to the women's quarters, so anytime you're ready…"
The grey girl grabbed her bag from the floor and motioned with a flick of her wrist. "Lead the way, McCoy."
The skinny man nodded and quickly darted between the two of them. Once he was gone, Fern shot the man in black a glare. "Traitor."
"Now, now, Fern, there's no need for name calling," Agent Sullivan teased, his hand dropping carefully to her shoulder. He steered her out of his office, assuring her, "If you need me, you know where to find me. I'll check in on you later, alright?"
The young woman gave a hum that lacked conviction as the door closed at her back. Hackles effectively raised, she shot Hank a suspicious glance. "I don't need to have a physical do I?"
"Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea- I mean, no, no you do not. Not at all," He assured her, his eagerness to study her skin stumbling at the sight of her bared sharp teeth.
"Good." Fern nodded curtly. Tightening the grip on the handle of her suitcase, she followed a step or so behind him. Raking her gaze over his back, she ignored his glance over his shoulder as she asked what exactly his mutation was. When he blushed, she expanded, "Raven said it was physical. Charles showed me your feet, but is that all?"
Hank frowned at her wording. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She lifted an apathetic shoulder. "Nothing."
In truth, the young woman was slightly saddened by the fact that Hank looked perfectly normal. Especially since Raven could hide herself so well. Fern felt a twinge of bitterness, but pushed it down easily enough. She couldn't fault the blonde for wanting normalcy, but the young woman found herself a bit disappointed none the less. She had expected Raven to wear her natural blue skin; first when they were in the car, then the plane and when she hadn't transformed back when they got to the base, Fern knew she would be the lone freak of the group. The only one with a physical mutation that could be seen, but she hid her sadness well.
"Here we are," Hank told her with a weak smile as they came to a stop. "It's not much, but you and the other girls should be quite comfortable here. If you like, you could rest for a while before the others come."
"No, that's alright." Fern slipped inside the room.
It wasn't as small as she had expected from his warning, but she supposed after living in a five by five room for four years, any room seemed large by comparison. With two sets of bunk beds lining parallel walls. It was painted a faint grey and her skin mirrored the color a moment as she pulled her baseball cap off. She tucked it in her back pocket before tossing her suitcase on to the bottom bunk of the closest bed.
Her hair was pin straight and fell just past her shoulders. She fluffed it absently as she looked to Hank.
The young man was slender, bordering on skinny and seemed to be trying to cave in on himself. His shoulders were drawn together and his features a bit tense, but Fern didn't take offense to it.
The dislike was mutual after all, and she could admit, she had done her best to instill said dislike in him. Instead of trying to make friends with her sparkling personality and charm, she merely asked him to direct her back to the break room where the other girls were.
"I'd be happy to show you-"
Fern raised a hand to stop him. Hank's gaze flickered down to her gloves curiously, but didn't interrupt her when she told him she could find her own way.
A/N: Sorry for the wait- the new chapter won't take as long. Shout out to my lovely beta, Linda Ku, for all her wonderful help! Also, yes, Agent Sullivan is the man in the black suit, Oliver Pratt's character in the movie. They never gave him a name and from what I can tell, he doesn't have a fandom name.