Xavier Institute For Higher Learning
Salem New York
"Damn it Charles we have to do something. We can't just sit here while the government runs illegal tests on Mutants." I shouted from across Xavier's desk.
"He's right Wheels something has to be done. This aint right." Logan agreed.
"What do you suggest we do?" He asked frustratedly in return.
"We go public. News stations, Newspapers, magazines, social media, whatever it takes." I replied.
"We will look like nothing more than crazy conspiracy theorists." Hank replied.
"We have proof." I remarked.
"Against a country? They will cover it up. The number of people that trust mutants is low if we take this public and contend with the government that number will drop even more." Charles said.
"Damn it Charles we cant just sit on our hands. Other mutants need to see this they need to know they are at risk." I yelled although I know he is right.
"If we do that then we get more young angry mutants joining causes like the brotherhood for protection and that poses more of a threat. Could you imagine suddenly giving Erik an army?" He asked.
"Maybe an army is not such a bad thing. A mutant defensive military. What if it comes to the point where the government turns on us and we are unprepared." I answered.
"An army is never strictly defensive. We will take time and come up with a plan feel free to dig for any more evidence but for the moment I ask that you not let this information leak into the wrong hands." Charles said, I sighed and got to my feet and turned for the door. I opened the door and stopped before turning back.
"I don't agree with you Charles but I will give you your time. So long as you promise me that we will not let this fall on the back burner. We will pursue this." I said and he nodded.
"Of course Bullet, now you have had a long few days you could use a little R and R." He said and I left the room shutting the door behind me.
Maybe he is right. After all of the information my brain has taken in I need to relax. You don't exactly get much time for that in hotel rooms and cargo ship crew quarters. On top of all of that I was nearly killed and I had that run in with Magneto, The only person I have ever met apart from Stryker that sends chills down my spine. He is so ruthless and calculating, everything he does is meticulously planned out and choreographed. He is not very intimidating by the image alone but to know him and truly know what he is capable of is a frightening thought. I walked back to my cabin trying to dismiss the thought. I walked out of the mansion and back to my cabin in the woods. I opened the door and walked in and immediately kicked my shoes off.
"You don't have any food here." Laura said before I could even get off my feet.
"You could go out and get some food instead of always eating all of my food." I replied angrily.
"With what money?" She asked.
"Get a fucking job, I don't know. You already have a free place to stay." I nearly yelled.
"What the hell is your problem?" She asked angry at my attitude towards her.
"My brain is overloaded, it wears on me. I shouldn't have snapped, I will order some Chinese." I said after taking a deep breath.
"Could you imagine me working?" She asked trying to lighten the mood and I laughed at the thought of her working with other people.
"I guess not. I don't really expect you to get a job but I do expect you to get out of here from time to time. Meet other people, get some sun, your not a prisoner anymore." I replied.
"I wouldn't get along with these people, you know that as well as I do." She said.
"You never know until you try. My first few months here I barely talked to anyone. Some of them are pretty cool most of them are whiny little brats that complain about how hard it is to be a mutant but there are others who want to make a difference and that work hard toward doing it. They are fighters, they are cultured and all around interesting people. Just don't write them off so easily." I said and she sighed before sitting down next to me.
"So how about that Chinese food?" She asked and I sighed and pulled my cell phone from my pocket.
"Bullet yah could have told meh yah were back. Ah had to find out from Logan." Rogue said after walking into my cabin.
"I was going to tell you after I got a shower but its good you are here we are ordering Chinese food. Would you like to join us for lunch?" I asked and smirked when she walked behind the couch and draped her arms around me from behind.
"Ah would love tah." She said and I tilted my head up so she could kiss me.
We sat and talked while waiting for the Chinese to arrive. I explained the not necessarily staged fight with Logan, to meeting Linda and getting aboard the cargo ship, I explained the cargo hold and interior of the ship the testing facility and the makeshift prison, the inhibitor collars and the tests they were performing on these mutants that are no longer walking the earth. I explained the government funding and then our escape.
"Magneto, helped yah escape?" Rogue asked surprised.
"Yeah he saved my life, I definitely didn't expect it either." I answered.
"Does it really surprise you that the government funded the tests?" Laura asked. "After all we were government experiments."
I stopped and thought for a second and she is right, Stryker's base was privately funded but was still government ran. To me that just means things are progressing. Events begin unfolding in my head and the only thing I can do is shake my head clear of these thoughts and keep an eye on events such as these and prevent them from going too far. We ate our food and I steered our conversation away from the current topic. The evening progressed and sat in my gun room later that evening cleaning my guns after our trip.
"Hey ah was wondering where yah were at." Rogue said sleepily as she walked down into my gun room.
"Yea you fell asleep on the sofa and I needed some time." I said as I reassembled my Sig P229.
"Are yah ok? You have been a little quiet tonight." Rogue asked confused.
"I don't know." I responded after locking the slide into place and set the gun off to the side before grabbing my second Sig.
"Do yah wanna talk about it?" She asked as she sat behind me and began rubbing my shoulders.
"No." I responded quietly.
"Ah think yah need to." She replied before kissing my shoulder blade.
"Ughhh." I sighed and took a deep breath. "What kind of like do we have to look forward to as mutants?" I asked.
"Where is this coming from? Its not like you to worry about such things." She asked.
"I have never had a good enough reason to worry about such things. When it was just me I didn't care what happened, if a job went bad and I died that would have been fine, I had no future, no family, no friends, I was just living day to day, now I have a future to look forward to and I see a possibility of it going downhill." I responded after setting my gun down. "Now I want to give you a bright future and its looking like that might not be possible."
"Any future with yah in it will be as bright as a Mississippi sunrise." She said and a smile began forming across my face.
"What if we have kids?" I asked.
"Whoa slow down cowboy I am eighteen years old. We will cross that bridge down the road but for now lets just be." She said and I turned to face her.
"Day by day then." I smiled and kissed her soft lips.
We retired for the evening and as I thought more about everything I thought about the bullet spinning in mid air right in front of my face and it made me think about leaving Rogue behind and everything I could still stand to change. The difference I can make and the good I can do. We reached my bed room and as I lay down next to Rogue I caught a whiff of her flowing auburn hair and a passion arose in me that I have never felt before. That night we made love like there was no tomorrow and fell asleep in each others arms I want to say happy but that doesn't even begin to describe it. We fell asleep our hearts so full of love that it lifted us back up and we drifted off perfectly at peace, with nothing to do but look forward to a long and incredibly happy future together.
Kansas
10 years later
"Damn it Jason, Ah thought we left that life behind 8 years ago." Rogue yelled angrily from the run down house we were living in.
"Not this conversation again. I am trying to make things better Marie what don't you understand about that?" I yelled back as I removed my guns and locked them in my small safe on the top shelf of the closet.
"Yah have a son to think about now, or did yah forget about that?" She remarked and I sat down with my back to her which I know pisses her off.
"And if I don't do something things may never change. Forgive me for not wanting him to live his life like this." I remarked lowering my voice. I really do not feel like going through this again.
"Let Logan and Remy do the dirty work yah can help from here and make a difference. Ah don't like yah crossing the barrier." She replied.
"Fuck the barrier." I yelled raising my voice again.
"Mommy?" Robbie said from his bedroom door.
"Your supposed to be sleeping Robbie." Rogue said calmly after turning to face him.
"You and Daddy woke me up." He said sleepily.
"Come on buddy I will tell you a story." I said taking his hand and leading him back into his room.
I walked Robbie and told him a story to put him back to sleep. I tucked him in and kissed his forehead before walking back out of the room. I looked out of the window at the slums we were living in. I sighed and walked back and sat on the couch. Rogue sat down next to me and I knew our conversation isn't over.
"Yah are that boy's hero, yah need to be here for him. Ah cant raise him alone Jason." Rogue said keeping her voice low.
"I just cant help but feel I could have ended all of this before it started. I need to be the one to end it now." I responded.
"If it wasn't Stryker someone else would have taken control." She said.
"I can still make a difference." I said defeatedly.
"What happens when yah get killed? What kind of difference do yah think that will make on my life or yer son's life? For someone who thinks of everything, yah don't think very much." She said and I sighed.
"We just made a food run tonight. Nothing too dangerous. " I responded.
"Everytime yah go out yah get shot at. Everytime is too dangerous." She said.
"But we will also feed a lot of people. Something we desperately need." I said and she sighed knowing I was right. "Where did we go wrong Marie?" I asked mentally exhausted.
"Are we that bad off we are together after all." She replied laying her head on my shoulder.
"I suppose your right. Remember when we used to go on runs together. We were like Bonnie and Clyde." I said and grabbed her legs and turned her so her legs lay across my lap. I began massaging her feet and she moaned a pleasurable sigh.
"Most of them are a blur to meh, Ah don't have your memory. I do remember the first time ah ever shot a man. Geez was that scary." She said and I chuckled.
"It wasn't that bad you took out his knee and then asked him if he was ok." I laughed and se punched my arm.
"Ah was concerned." She said.
"He tried to kill you." I said and she laughed now. "You were an emotional wreck afterward."
"Yah were so amazing that night." She replied.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked her.
"The way yah reasoned with meh to calm meh down. Do yah remember what yah told meh?" She asked and looked up at me from her laying position on the sofa. "Yah told meh that it was the adrenaline rush that threw off mah ability to handle the recoil and caused meh to shoot him."
"Sounds like solid reasoning to me." I remarked.
"That's bullshit and yah know it. Yah trained meh to be able to handle the recoil of a fourty five in mah sleep. Yah made me train till it was instinctual, muscle memory as you called it. Still it was sweet, yah could have told meh to get over it and that ah would get used to the feeling, but yah held mah hand and calmly talked meh down." She said and I raised her foot and kissed her ankle.
"And to this day I would do the same." I said and smiled at the woman who I could stare at for hours a day and she would never seem less beautiful. "I don't like fighting with you Marie." I said and she opened her slowly shutting eyelids.
"Then don't, ah can always be right." She smiled. "Just think from now on about our son. He needs yah in his life."
"Your right, I will tell you what tomorrow we will get out and spend all day together just the three of us. No Charles, no Scott, no Storm, no Logan, no Remy, Just me you and Robbie." I said and she sat up and switched positions so she could lay her head in my lap.
"Yah promise? No Scheming or planning? No talks of fighting back?" She asked sleepily.
"I promise." I said and she smiled.
"Has it still been happening?" I asked.
"Yeah its been happening even more frequently. The worst part is, he doesn't know that he is doing it." She replied. "What do we do?"
"We begin teaching him how to control it." I replied and began running my fingers through her hair.
"How do we teach him to do something he is unaware that he does?" She asked.
"He gets that from you, It is his inability to control his emotions." I answered.
"Ah don't want him to become some cold emotionless person he is seven and all he has is us and his emotions." She said and I have to agree with her but he could ultimately hurt someone.
"Yes but him having no control could prove dangerous. Apart from that what do you think going through his teenage years living in a place like this will do to his emotional state. He will grow to become cold and emotionless anyway." I responded.
"Ah guess we don't have much of a choice. We start Thursday?" She asked.
"Of course." I replied before lifting her head up and getting up from the sofa. I took her hand and helped her up. We walked to our bedroom and layed down to call it a night.
As I lay next to my wife I thought back to the past 10 years. The failed attempt with the avengers to take out Stryker. Hank being refused a position at the U.N. because Mutants D.N.A. being different from Human classified us as a different species. After that people were able to get away with violent crimes against mutants due to us not being classified as human. Crimes against mutants increased along with testing on us. Stryker took a place in political office and due to his campaign against mutants, his doctored footage showing only the bad that mutants like Magneto and his brotherhood have done and mutants that have caused damage who were unable to control their powers he quickly rose to become the president of the United States. It wasn't long after that construction began all around the state of Kansas and He began deporting mutant criminals here after clearing humans out. After that he began rounding up all mutants and shipping us here. Mutant hunting robots called sentinels were soon dispatched to guard the perimeter. Electric and water treatment plants shut down with no one to run them and we have been left to fend for ourselves. We have gotten The electric and Water back up and running due to elemental mutants and we live off the food we steal and grow ourselves which is helped by mutants with the abilities to make such tasks easier. We have gotten the schools back up and running but we are living without any outside help such as medical supplies. Mutants fight day to day to survive and very few have stepped up to police the area due to the danger involved in such a task. I remember the day the Army rolled up to the front of the mansion gates. It was 6 years ago and Robbie was just a getting the hang of talking. A few of us at the School were willing to fend off the attack but in the end we surrendered peacefully as a sign that not all mutants were bad. Not that it did us much good. With all of the reasoning we have tried over the years we have not been heard. We have created a few escape tunnels so that we can exit Mutantville as we have come to know it. Logan Remy and I often go on runs to raid any slaughterhouses and steal freezer trucks full of food and occasionally pharmacies for any medicine we can get our hands on but its hard to provide for a whole state full of us. Many mutants have begun talking of a revolt and their ranks have been swelling everyday. I was offered a leadership and training position but turned it down at Charles and Rogues request. Logan took up my position and Remy took up training some of the militia in hand to hand combat along with Laura. Scott, Storm and Hank have stayed the peaceful course with Charles I have decided not to take sides but have been helping both ends. The way I see it maybe one of them will eventually put an end to this nightmare.
My mind eventually began to slow down and I was able to drift off to sleep before being awoken a few short hours later. It was nothing new to me I sleep very little most nights. I awoke to Robby running in the room and jumping between me and Marie. We made our way out to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. We said grace a tradition that Marie started that I was against but it is something she grew up with and wanted to instill in Robby so I gave in. We decided to take a day off from school as I homeschooled Robby anyway. Breakfast wrapped up and Rogue and I showered and made sure Robby got a bath before we decided to get our day started.
"Mama, Daddy can we go to the park?" Robby asked.
"Of course Buddy, anything you want today." I answered and we left the house.
We made our way out of the house and walked to the park Me and Rogue with bobby between us holding each of our hands. Too anyone who didn't know what we were going through we must look like we have the perfect life. It could definitely be worse but it could be a lot better. We made it to the park and Robby ran straight for the swings. I smiled as I watched Rogue push him higher and higher as he cheered.
"It is nice to see such a picture of happiness during such bleak times." A familiar voice said from behind me as I sat on the park bench. "Shouldn't the boy be learning at the moment?" He asked.
"No offense Charles but I promised marie a day without you or anyone from the good old days." I said as he rolled up next to me.
"Very well, I am aware that with everything going on as of late that you need some family time. Just remember that Robby was born into the X-men family I would like to see him from time to time." He said and began rolling away.
"Charles wait." I said and he stopped and turned to face me. "I don't mean to be rude, things have not exactly been going well at home, I am more than a little stressed out. I will bring Robby by to see you soon."
"I understand Bullet things have not been easy for anyone much less families with young children. I will leave you to your family time good day." He smiled and continued rolling away. I looked back to Marie and Robby who were now playing on the jungle gym and laughed as Robby showed off his athleticism making the monkey bars look easy.
As it turns out nothing good ever lasts. A dark shadow appeared overhead and I looked to the sky to see one a sentinel lowering itself to the ground.
"Marie!" I yelled and she noticed it as well. I ran to her and Robby and pulled him down from the monkey bars. I ran with him in my arms to where Charles had made it to.
"Charles get him away from here." I said and pulled my pistols from my holsters and Rogue pulled hers as well.
"What are you going to do?" Charles asked.
"Whatever I can. Now go." I demanded.
"Mutant D.N.A. detected. Eliminate all targets." The sentinel said as it landed down on the jungle gym crushing it beneath its massive weight.
"What are you doing here? Your job is to stand guard outside of the barrier." I asked it.
"Eliminate all targets." It repeated and raised its hand to me.
The Hand began to glow red and just before it fired Rogue fired a shot and hit it in the back of the head. The bullet ricocheted off and the Sentinel turned to face her. I ran full speed between its legs as the sentinel swatted at her and I tackled her out of the way just before it made contact. I rolled off and helped her to her feet. and we ran before the Sentinel could step on us.
"Marie get out of here!" I yelled as I split off from here and began firing shots to draw he Sentinel's attention.
"Ah am not leaving yah!" She yelled back.
"I don't have any adamantium rounds and the will not penetrate its armor. All your help will do is distract me. I can hold it off until help arrives." I said and she shook her head and ran off toward Charles and Robby.
I continued dodging the stomping feet of the Sentinel and the occasional blast it fired. All of the stamina and conditioning in the world are not going to help me forever. I hope Charles put sent out an S.O.S. I ran from a rocket fired from the Sentinel but the blast knocked from my feet. I hit the ground with a thud and a crack and lack of breath indicated that I broke a rib. I turned onto my back and looked up at the nearing sentinel with my gun drawn looking for a weakness that a bullet may be able to penetrate. It raised its foot and I couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way. Looks like this is the end.
"Charles, tell Marie and Robby that I love them." I sent out using the last of my time slowing my brain down so I could get a message out without hurting Charles. Just then the sentinels foot dropped to the ground. a few feet away from me.
"Leave my daddy alone!" Robby screamed.
"Eliminate all... Mutant D.N... Error." The sentinel began malfunctioning and as I crawled toward Robby, Marie ran up and picked him up. I heard the sound of metal compacting and I looked back to see the sentinel crumpling like a soda can. I looked back to Robby and saw the pure fear in his tear filled eyes. What was left of the sentinel fell backward and crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom. I rolled onto my back both frightened and relieved at the sight of what just happened, and the thought of why a Sentinel crossed the barrier in the first place.