Chapter 11
"FMera"- an interlude
"Greetings and salutations! You have reached the Xav-"
"Hey Hank. How are you?"
"Katherine? To what do I owe the indescribable honor and unexpected pleasure to be graced with your melodious voice?"
"Gee, Beast, you really know how to make a girl feel special."
"I know a large Russian gentleman who could use some pointers!"
"Hush Rachel! Anyway, Hank, we need some help. We were ambushed by some armored troops about an hour north of Salem Center. I'm transmitting the coordinates now…"
"This is most unwelcome and yet not entirely unexpected news. From the air of nonchalance you are presenting, may I safely presume that you and your fiery companion extricated yourselves without deleterious effects?"
"We're not hurt, no. Ray has a blinding headache that she's so generously choosing to share with me, but otherwise the lumps were all theirs. Fewer than they deserved at that. Anyway, Ray left them all trussed up in their own armaments, so if you could send in the Feds for a pickup…"
"Katherine, I would be remiss if I did not remind you that current operating procedure mandates that the arresting officer remain on the scene until such time as reinforcements arrive-"
"Yeah, well, I'm not an officer and Ray is seriously off duty. Call it 'requiring medical attention' if you like. In any event, if these jokers have backup, it's liable to come in the form of a disintegration cannon or mini-nuke, and I don't think either of us are up to that. We wouldn't want to scuff up our headmaster's car, now, would we?"
"Was? Kätzchen, is that you?"
"Kurt? Is that you? What is this, fuzzy and blue day at the Comm. Station?"
"Apparently. Now what was that about a mini-nuke? Herr Doktor's notes here are scarecely legible."
"A prerequisite, I fear, to attain the degree that permits the utilization of the appellation 'Doctor of Biophysics'."
"If Hank would every so kindly allow me to explain for a sec…"
"My apologies, Katherine."
"Anyway, Rachel and I were stopped by a sheriff's deputy north of Westchester. Apparently, they'd been tipped off by a couple incidents we'd had and had called in some heavy reinforcements. We'd been in a scuffle with a bunch of teenage bigots-in-training who were pounding on some poor pro-mutant kid. Now that I think about it, it just doesn't make sense. We didn't use our powers in the fight, and if we had, they wouldn't have had time to mobilize that much firepower."
"What are you thinking, Kätzchen?"
"We used our powers a couple times- a telepathic conversation, some light telekinesis and I phased some cheese-poof dust off my hand. If these Purity soldiers have access to a fairly powerful mutant detection equipment to nail us coming out of the Institute… coupled with enough heavy weaponry to keep a medium sized country in line. I mean, God help us if they've gotten hold of Sentinels…"
"Stay where you are, Katya. Kurt and I will be there soon in the Blackbird. We will escort you home."
"Whoa there, big guy! Ray and I are all grown up now- we can handle any bad guys that come our way. Seriously, Piotr, we appreciate your concern. If we get into any trouble, Rachel can easily call you telepathically, or we can hit our emergency transponders, and then you can ride in on your white horses."
"I can't say I don't echo Peter's concern, Kitty, but we'll play this your way."
"Thank you ever so much, fuzzy elf… Kitty out."
"Kätzchen! Wait!"
"What? What's the matter?"
"Before you hang up- we were thinking of going out tonight, having a grand old time. Would you and Fraulein Grey be interested in joining us?"
"And who might 'we' be?"
"Peter and myself, for starters. Perhaps others."
"I-, er, we'll get back to you on that, ok? Kitty out."
That was interesting. sent Rachel. Definitely opens up possibilities for the evening.
Kitty stared ahead and listened to the CD, which was playing an untitled track called "Fmera", leading into a song that already had her stomach in knots.
Author's Note: Thank you again to those who have been patient about this. I don't like to think of myself as being greedy for reviews, but I do really appreciate the feedback and would like more. This chapter takes advantage of a mini-track on the Cats Laughing album- the intro to a song is in fact, a separate song, and allowed the opportunity for this interlude. I decided to play with the concept of a dialogue only chapter, to advance the plot, since, in most respects, the climax will be next and I've got a lot of ground to cover. I hope you like it!