Desiree moved toward the hangar before dawn the next morning with multiple people on her trail. She had tried to tune them out and focus on her mission, but stopped and spun around to face them. "I understand." She said suddenly. "I understand dat each of ya have ya reasons for wanting to go, but dis ain't the one ya'll are gonna fight. We got plenty ahead of us. I need ya to stand down for dis one."
"You can't just tell us not to fight." Jade said, and Desiree took a deep breath.
"We have reasons to fight." Renee said, Vivienne nodding in agreement. "Besides, you are taking Jett."
"Jett has covert abilities dat are useful in what we are doin' sugah.
"And what about all the Guthries that are going?"
"Do ya wanna deliver da head of da traitor?" Desiree suddenly snapped. "Jayson and Kestrel have da abilities to stay high and get where dey need t, and get dere job done before returning here. It ain't the same place I'm goin'."
"Why can't we go?" Vivienne questioned the younger girl. "We are just as trained, if not more than you are."
"Dakota, can I see y' tablet, please?"
"Sure, is everything okay?" the other girl asked, but handed over the tablet with no other questions and watched Desiree pull up government files. "Oh.." she said before watching Desiree turn it to face them.
"Every single one of ya'll are listed under the school's files. They knew ya were there, they know who ya related to and will expect ya." she stated as she scrolled on.
"And Jett?"
"Not on it luv, we checked before she agreed to let me go. I've been in space with my dad for a few years and since I wasn't here when I turned eighteen, they did not add me into the mutant database from the previous registration act that was passed. I also never registered for the school because I was there for so little time." Jett explained. "Only going on this mission, because I can get everyone in and get what we need out. We'll be back before ya know it."
"Izzy's staying behind. He's in charge." Desiree said, handing the tablet back and walking away.
"What!?" she heard the girls exclaim and held back a laugh as she approached the others in the hangar.
"That was mean." Dakota said, having followed behind her. "And I kind of loved it. I feel like under different circumstances we could have been friends."
"We have been, for years, y' just didn't know it was me." Desiree said. "I wouldn't trust just anyone on comms wit' a mission like dis. We have da backup team readily available if ya feel like we are gonna need it. It will be ya call. We are taking Kielar, but we are leaving Tommy. Most of the ones on the Avengers team are actually back up. Izzy will stand behind whatever call ya make. He's been at my side for everything. He won't hesitate to jump in the fight if he's needed. But the others need to know how we work when we head out on covert missions...and…"
"Desiree…" Dakota cut her off. "We won't let anything happen here. I know this is a big deal for all of you. Go. Make sure you come try not to terrify people around here by threatening them with severed heads again."
"Dey left me alone, didn't dey?" Desiree asked before going to where her family stood.
Kielar sat next to Tommy in the room they shared. "TJ. It's won't be a long mission, we are going to be in and out. Dakota is on comms. I'm sure she will let you sit with her."
"Oh yes, let's picture that for a moment, you will come back to me murdered by a ginger." Tommy said.
"Which is funny because you are the only non ginger of the kids in your family. So really, I don't know if it would be your brother or sister." Kielar smiled a bit.
"Har har. You are hilarious." Tommy told him and hit him with a pillow. "Kie. Seriously. I need you to promise me you'll be careful. You aren't going out there in your Captain America suit. They will know you are a mutant, they will know why you are there and…"
"They killed my sister." Kielar said, looking down. "I've been holding everything together, but I'm not okay TJ, my headspace is really dark, and I need to get out of here for a bit. I'll let Dakota know if I need to get out of there, or we need backup. I'm not going in there alone."
"The problem is we don't know these people you are going in there with." The Stark boy rubbed his face in frustration. "We barely know these people and you are heading out there potentially on a life or death mission and...I'm not okay with this!" Kielar stared at him for a moment in silence before pulling Tommy into a hug. "It's just been a very stressful time and I can't…" he paused. "I can't lose you, Kie. I can't. I'm terrified if you walk out that door that I will not see you again."
"I will Tommy. I will come back to you. Just stay with your brother, with your dads, with your sister." Kielar whispered, pulling away as he stood up. "Don't do anything reckless or stupid. At least not until I'm here to get you out."
"Yeah Yeah…" Tommy said as Kielar disappeared. "Please come back…" he sighed as he fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Love the look Jimmy," Daken said. "Very ninja."
"That's the point, asshole." His younger brother responded. "It helps with dulling my senses as well. Not much, but enough."
"You don't have to go." Daken told his brother.
"You don't either." was the quick response as James put his swords on his back. "You have a son, you have a daughter, a family now. Laura and I can take care of this. Just...you can stay here…"
"I'm not letting you go out there without me." Daken cut him off. "I know Logan wasn't a father to either of us. It took me a really long time to not hate the man. But I'm standing here with you, because you are my little brother. The moment I found you in that house alone, I took responsibility for you. I followed you to the damn school so you could meet Logan, and I stood back and let it happen because I knew you needed it. I watched how devastating it was for you to not have your expectations met. I watched you fall in love with that girl you are still in denial about." James rolled his eyes. "See. You think for a moment that I am going to let you recover our father's body without me. I've had to do this before, ask Laura. She knows how well that went."
"Okay, I get it. I didn't need an entire monologue. You talk too much." James said as he slipped his gloves on.
"Piece of advice. Tell her how you feel before it's too late. You two have been through a lot together. I've watched you interact…"
"How do you know I haven't already, Akihiro? Just because you don't know doesn't mean it hasn't happened." James smiled as he opened the door. "If you're going, I guess I will see you in the hangar. We leave in thirty."
A few minutes had passed before Keegan ran into the room, with Mara and Bucky behind him. He stared at them in silence for a moment, and it hit him just how much his life had changed. His brother was right. He had a family now, something everyone swore he would never have. They had told him he was unlovable. Daken picked up Keegan and held him close, the little boy wrapping his arms around his dad's neck. He put his arm around Mara and pulled her close. For a moment, a rare thing they shared. He could feel Bucky's eyes on him the entire time as he put Keegan back down.
"Mara, could you go take Keegan to get a snack or something?"
"Yes, come Keegan."
"More knives?" Keegan asks.
"Ssh. only if you are good." She told him and kneeled down so he could climb onto her back. "Papa and Dad need to talk."
After the kids left, Bucky watched Daken again for a moment before speaking. "You aren't usually like this before a mission."
"This one is different. Look, before I go. These arrived before everything went down." He said, picking up two envelopes.
"Akihiro…"
"Just look at them." Daken pushed. Bucky opened the first one and pulled out two adoption certificates. "The adoption went through, so you are now legally Keegan's father. And Romanoff had Mara's..moved to us." he paused as Bucky opened the other and pulled out their marriage license. "I know that is still a secret, but they were all important documents. I put the others up. "
"I'm going with you."
"No, you aren't. They need a parent here and if this place is located, you can get them out." Daken said. "Let me finish. This is my last mission. Whether I come back dead or alive, this is my last field mission. I will still train the younger ones, but I won't go on the field like I have been. You don't want to go back into the field, and as nice as it would be to have you out there today, I can't let you go out there. You need to stay with them. Keep them safe." Bucky pulled Daken close and kissed him.
"Ah can't believe he decapitated her." Jayson said, looking at the box near him.
"Are you though?" Kestrel questioned. "Bitch deserved what was coming to her, especially after she sold mutants out for a little revenge? She's the reason most of our family is gone."
"Ah didn't say it was a bad thing. Mom and Uncle Akihiro took care of that situation without hesitation, though." He paused and looked at his sister. "Ya ready for this?"
"Dropping the head of a traitor on live television in front of the people who caused all of this? Hell yeah."
"You two are barbaric." Charmaine scolded them, and they turned to their sister. "You shouldn't find joy in doing things like this, ya know Grandma would not like that."
"Char." Jayson began. "We almost lost ya. It wasn't for nothing other than them saying they could do it. We are not gonna let this slaughter continue." Kestrel remained quiet, letting her brother do the talking.
"Just remember that sometimes there are people who have to follow orders they don't want. They also have families." Charmaine hugged Jayson and kissed his cheek before moving over to Kestrel and doing the same to her sister. "Be careful, please." She said before walking away again.
"Well, we gotta make her feel better when we get back." Jayson told Kestrel.
"We can plan some sappy movie thing. She'll love that." His sister said as their mom approached.
"The uniforms fit well." Laura commented and double checked everything with them. "They don't bother your wings?"
"No. We're good." Kestrel told her.
"Listen up!" Daken yelled to get the attention of everyone. "We aren't taking very many with us, because we are bringing back those we lost. The LeBeau's will go in covert and will remain that way until the last possible moment. We have Kestrel and Jayson with the distraction. They will hold the speech outside the facility we will go into. Dakota will cut security feed. After everyone is out Jayson will get on the intercom and mimic an officer. You will have them move to the west wing, where we will all be. Howlett's will take them down." Daken paused and turned to Jett. "Quill, you'll be with the LeBeau's, and as soon as you find the captured mutants, you remove everyone you can. Kielar, you'll be doing the same. Only when we first get there I want you scouting the perimeter and entrances, discreetly."
"Let's get goin'." Remy said as they dispersed toward two planes. As the LeBeau's got situated, Remy glanced at his daughter. "Y' okay petite?"
"I jus' got a bad feelin'." Desiree said softly.