Title: Power behind the Throne Part 13
Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to these characters, I could quit my job.
Author: Ethiercn
Rating: MA
Angel watched as Shaw circled the block of ice that encased the body of his son. Since coming out of the house, Shaw hadn't said anything, and despite everything, Angel pitied the man. She knew too much about losing family members.
"How did it get here?" Shaw demanded of Thomas who stood stiffly off to the side.
"It was here this morning. Felix found it. I'm not sure how it was put on the grounds without the alarms going off." He looked in Angel's direction, "It would seem that the X-Men are responsible."
Shaw grunted. He turned to Angel. "Melt the ice. Make sure that you do not harm the body unless you wanted your friends killed." He turned back to Thomas, "See to the body and double the guards." He walked over to Thomas. "If you wish to keep your position, this will not happen again. Otherwise, I will find someone else to take over all your duties," he finished with a significant glance at his daughter. Shaw then turned on his heel and stalked off.
A few minutes later and Shinobi Shaw's body was freed from the block of ice. Hugging herself, Angel watched as the guardsmen adjusted the body. Thomas knelt down beside the corpse and studied it. He gestured for the men to take it away. Thomas rose and made his way over to Angel.
"Did he . . . " she began.
"Freeze to death?" Thomas finished. "It's too early to tell, though there is no sign of violence to the body." He put his arms around her shoulders, feeling her tense slightly as he did so. He steered her back to the house. "Don't worry. Shaw won't blame you." He looked over to see Ralph watching them.
"After we questioned Shinobi over your disappearance, Nova handed him off to the authorities," Vance whispered as he stood behind Angel, who sat at the edge of Shaw's pool. "He got bail or pulled some strings."
Angel rested on her head on her knees. "Thomas thinks it's the X-Men, but that doesn't make anything sense." She watched the house. Talking in the open presented its own set of dangers, but if she spent too much time inside the house, questions would arise.
"Thrash said he was going to contact the X-Men," Vance replied, referring to his conversation late last night. "He says we should move soon." Vance looked down worriedly at Angel. "Did Thomas," he began, but then saw movement out of the corner of his eye. "Into the pool," he commanded quickly, taking a few steps back as Angel slide into the water and began to swim.
"Ralph," Thomas acknowledged as he came out onto the patio and reached the pool. "Anything to report?"
"She's swimming, sir. No sign of anyone else."
With a slight leer, Thomas looked at the bikini clad Angel, "She looks good all wet and slick, doesn't she?"
"Sir," Vance replied carefully under Thomas' watchful brown eyes.
Thomas knelt by the pool, "Angelica," he called, beckoning her over.
Angel turned and, quelling the feeling of disquiet, swam over. Thomas hadn't said anything about yesterday, hadn't tried anything over the night, but the thought of any contact with him sickened her.
"Shaw wants to see us," Thomas extended a hand to help her out of the pool. He picked up the towel and wrapped it around her, allowing his hands to linger on her body. Glaring at him, Angel angrily grabbed the towel and dried herself off, before tying it around her waist. As she turned to go into the house, Thomas gently took her arm and pulled her against him tightly. She rested her hands on his chest. "Afterwards, perhaps we can continue our encounter from last night," he suggested before kissing her deeply, keeping his eyes open to watch Ralph. The guardsman's hands kept trying to curl into fists. Thomas allowed Angel to break off the kiss. "In a more intimate setting of course," he finished talking Angel's arm in his and walking toward the house. Ralph's reaction, he thought, had been very telling.
Depositing Thrash, Nova landed on the lawn to the former School for Gifted Youngsters. He stared at the mansion. "Do we ring the bell?" he asked.
"According to Cable, they should be expecting us," Thrash replied, moving towards the house." Before he could ring the bell, the door opened, and Nova recognized Cyclops.
"Night Thrasher and Kid Nova, correct?" the X-Men's leader said.
"Just Nova," the Human Rocket corrected quickly.
Cyclops nodded, "This way." He led them into and though the mansion. Nova had to suppress an envious whistle. Why couldn't the Warriors' headquarters be something like this, he wondered. Cyclops opened a door and gestured them into an office. Inside, a bald man in a wheelchair sat behind a desk.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Thrasher and Mr. Nova," the man said. "I'm Professor Xavier."
Well, at least Chrome Dome got his name right, Nova thought as Cyclops leaned against the desk.
"Cable said you had some questions about Emma Frost," Xavier continued, "And I presume about your missing teammate, Firestar." He saw the shocked looks of the two Warriors. "Angelica Jones' father visited me before his untimely death."
Thrash gave the two men an abbreviated version of the Warrior's current situation and Justice and Firestar's encounter with the ice mutant who sounded like Emma Frost.
"As of right now, Emma Frost is still in a coma," Professor Xavier began in a slight condescending tone.
"Firestar would know what her former teacher sounded like," Thrash interrupted angrily. "We believe her. We went up against Frost. We know what telepaths can do."
Suddenly, Professor Xavier exchanged a look of horrific knowledge with Cyclops.
"Jean, what she did during the Sentinels attack at the Hellfire Club," the visor wearing man began and then turned to hit a button on the desk. "Hank, get up here."
"What is going on?" Nova demanded.
"In a minute," Cyclops said over his shoulder. "I meant now, Hank"
"Now," Thrash countered harshly, staring at Xavier. "Our teammates are the ones at risk."
Maybe Thrash isn't such a cold hearted bastard after all, Nova thought as Xavier began to explain a possible theory.
In the X-mansion's sub-basement, Hank got up. "Scott needs me upstairs," he said as he scratched his blue furred chin and looked at Bobby Drake. "Wait here." He left the room.
Attached to diagnostic equipment, Bobby nodded and leaned back on the table. He closed his eyes. Then suddenly, slumped to the floor. The equipment began to beep frantically as wires were wrenched out of place. An arm formed of ice reached up and shut off the machine. Iceman yanked the remaining wires off of his body.
As Beast and Cyclops slammed the door open, the White Queen manipulated Iceman's abilities and disappeared down the sink.
Author's Note: In case some readers don't know, the whole Frost/Iceman thing is from Uncanny X-Men. When she came out of her coma, Frost took control of Iceman to find out what happened to the Hellions. Her use of his mutant abilities far outclassed his use of them. Cyclops is referring to the attack that put Frost into a coma. During that attack, Jean put herself into Frost's body.