Chapter 39
The Sefton Residence...
Amanda had been pacing around her room for an hour. She was so nervous she had bitten all her fingernails practically down to the quick. Then she hears her parents call on her to come down. Amanda makes her way down and tries to judge the expression on her parents' faces but it's hard. They've got their poker faces on.
"We've discussed this Amanda and come to an agreed decision," her mother announces.
Amanda's heart beats furiously.
"We will allow you to keep seeing Kurt..."
"YES!" Amanda yells in triumphant, happy beyond words that they have given their permission.
"On condition," her father's stern voice flattens her joy. George wasn't entirely happy with the decision made but Margali had pointed out the alternative would hurt Amanda and he didn't want that so they had come to a solution that was acceptable even if he still had grave concerns about allowing Amanda to continue seeing this boy.
"What condition?"
"We want to see this Institute and talk to Professor Xavier to make sure you are not in any danger by seeing Kurt," her father lays it out.
"Uh...well I guess I can understand that," Amanda concedes. Although that means her chances of continuing to see Kurt relied on the others at the Institute behaving when her parents go. Amanda mentally cringes slightly knowing at least some of the antics that go on there. "Although it won't be tonight. They're at that Stark party in New York," she points out in case they think of doing this immediately. That'll buy her time to inform the others and to get them to promise to behave.
"They are?" Margali asks and both she and her husband have surprised expressions at that.
Then on the tv, which had been muted while they talked, breaking news of a supervillain incident at Stark Tower. Amanda's parents both fix her unhappy looks.
Amanda's spirits fall into her shoes. She better hope there is a good explanation for that or she is facing a mountain to climb to persuade her parents to allow her to keep seeing Kurt.
At the Institute...
Ororo has had enough. Seriously. Logan is...is...oh she is so mad at him right now. Thunder cracks in the heavens in response to her mood. All night he's been avoiding her. Even when Kurt came home depressed Ororo had to deal with that alone. It seems it had not gone as well as hoped for with the Seftons.
Ororo had done her best to cheer him up but it got interrupted by her having to deal with the others and where was Logan? Nowhere. That's where.
With a moment of peace Ororo had determined to confront Logan. She didn't have to think too hard on where he might be and she was right. Working on his bike, empty beer bottles lying around. "Drinking is not the solution to everything you know!" she snaps in an irate tone.
Logan turns his head, puzzled by her tone. "Sure it is," he contradicts her.
Ororo growls. "You are a pigheaded, rude, arrogant..."
"Whoa there a minute Ro," Logan interrupts her tirade. "Where do you get off telling me that?" he asks, because he is not going to take it from someone who has been avoiding him all night. He was pretty steamed about it but had chosen not to blow up on her which was awful magnanimous of him. He's killed people for less.
Ororo strides forward. Logan stands up to face her. Ororo slaps him across the face hard.
Logan looks at her in shock that she did that. "What the..."
The obvious swearing that was about to come next never does as Ororo slaps him again.
Logan growls, desperately trying to keep his temper in check. "Ro ya better leave now," he warns her. In response her eyes narrow into a glare Logan would be proud of. She raises her hand back again only Logan catches it in a solid grip. "What is your problem?" he almost roars at her.
"YOU!" she spits out furiously. "I volunteered to look after the children so we could talk but you chose to avoid me!"
"You're the one avoiding me!" Logan fires back.
"You impudent man!" Ororo states, sounding very much like a Goddess talking down to a mortal.
"Oh spare me your highness," Logan says mockingly.
Ororo eyes spark with lightning. "Unhand me!" she demands.
"No. Ya want to talk. Fine. We'll talk. We screwed. It happened. Get over it."
"Oh that is so typical of you."
"What does that mean?"
"How many women have you been with since I've known you that you just screwed and walked away from?"
It's actually a little odd hearing Ro say the word 'screwed' Logan must admit. "So what? Ya want a repeat performance? Well I guess I can't blame you for that," he says with an arrogant smirk.
"Oh please if you think that's going to work on me you are beyond stupid!"
"What?"
"Your little rude, chauvinistic act. It may work on other women to drive them off. It won't on me," she insists.
"Ro what do ya want from me?" Logan asks because he just doesn't know.
"You! You stupid man! I want you. That's what I want to talk about. I'm attracted to you but only the Goddess knows why." Ororo had thought and thought about it and decided that somehow she really was attracted to the stupid man and what she wanted to talk about was them trying a relationship.
Logan blinks. "No."
"What?"
"No, Ro. You listen to me good here. You don't want any part of me."
"That's my decision."
"Ro...you don't know who I am. Hell I don't know who I really am. I could be the worst monster who has ever lived for all anyone knows."
"I don't believe that."
"Then look at my enemies Ro. You can judge a man by his enemies. You think Sabretooth is the only one. There's Stryker, Deadpool and who knows who else from Weapon X. There's the ones I racked up working for SHIELD. I could spend a week listing them and each and every one of them will use anyone close to me to destroy me...and that's the ones I can remember. Who knows what the ones I can't are like."
"That's..." Understanding suddenly dawns in Ororo's mind. "That's why you never have a serious relationship isn't it? You're protecting them."
Logan nods to confirm that.
"Logan," Ororo starts in a softer tone, the sting of her anger having been taken out. "I can look after myself in case it escaped your attention...and you think you're the only one who has had a hard life?" she asks him, her gaze more vulnerable and haunted than Logan has ever seen it. She's usually a mask of serenity and calm.
Ororo summarises a little of her life. "I lost my parents as a child. Vivian and I grew up on the streets of Cairo as thieves. We were both used and manipulated by perhaps the most obscene telepath that exists on this planet. I have done...things that no-one should have to so if you think anything you can say can scare me off you are sadly mistaken. The only answer I will accept that shows we can't work is that you look me in the eye and say you feel nothing for me and that us sleeping together was a mistake."
Logan releases his grip on her arm. He knew vaguely her life hadn't been a cakewalk but he never knew the details. Hell he didn't want to know. He's not the kind of person to care all that much really. He turns away from her and reaches for another beer from the storage cupboard on the wall.
"That's not an answer," Ororo points out in reference to Logan retreating to drink.
"Says you," Logan retorts as he pops the lid and takes a long cool drink.
Ororo folds her arms across her chest. "I still want an answer," she tells him.
"I don't need this you know. I already have a daughter I don't know what to do with and now you dump this down on me," he complains.
"You're not doing anything wrong with Rogue," she tries to assure him.
"We ain't exactly close."
"Closer than you think actually. You're both just terrible at expressing your feelings. Like father, like daughter."
Logan looks at her and sees the light playful smile on her lips that shows she's making a joke.
"I'm serious Logan. You're not doing anything wrong with Rogue. She's not the type of person you can push. When she's ready she'll come to you. All you can do is make sure that when she does you're there for her. You should learn from Clark. That's what he did and look at them now."
Logan makes a face. "Ro I would rather not. You don't know what's it like having to smell what I smell that shows what they get up to."
Ororo snorts with laughter. "Teenagers having sex. Oh the world must be ending," she jests with mock horror.
Logan shakes his head.
"I think Martha mentioned once that no parent probably likes to imagine their little girl having sex Logan. The fact it makes you uncomfortable is normal," she shifts back to being more serious and sympathetic of Logan's plight.
Logan drinks more of his beer.
"We still have not resolved us."
Logan gives Ro a look. "Look what do you want me to say. You're a beautiful woman Ro. There ain't a man alive who wouldn't be drawn to ya. I'm no different."
"I already worked through the possibility it was merely lust Logan and it occurred to me I like spending time with you whenever we do."
"You must be the only person who has ever said that."
"So?"
"So what?"
"Us."
"Still don't think it is a good idea."
"One date."
"What?"
"You give it one date. You and I go out and if there is truly nothing between us by the time it is over I will drop this and we can go back to being friends," she proposes.
"You ain't going to accept any answer but yes are ya," Logan can tell by the determined look on Ro's face.
"See. You know me so well. Besides I did promise you awhile back to share a beer with you."
Logan drinks more of his beer and thinks over her proposal. Perhaps if he can show her what he is really like she will get this stupid idea out of her head. Logan can't see how they can possibly be compatible in any way and once she sees it that will be the end of this. "I have one condition," he says.
"Such as?"
"I decide where we go and what we do. You want to date then you have to see the real me and be able to accept it."
Ororo can see he is challenging her. "Done," she says. Challenge accepted.
Stark Tower...
Luckily Reed, from his previous encounter with the Frightful Four, knew how to dissolve the glue so many had been trapped in. He watches with a little satisfaction as the Wizard is dragged off by the police while Susan moans about Johnny taking all the credit as he flirts with every female reporter here.
Tony is having to deal with the police, since it is his building, when he pauses for a minute and turns to Rhodey and asks his so-called head of security, "So 6 super-villains crash my party and where were you?"
"That guy on the glider stunned me," Rhodey explains. They had stormed the entrance lobby and next thing Rhodey knew was being hit by something like an electric shock.
"Why am I paying you again?" Tony asks, with a little smirk that shows he really isn't angry at Rhodey but is only teasing. Although Tony will be upgrading the tower's security systems after this.
Peter and Clark had managed to get back into the gathering without being noticed only to endure the inevitable police questioning. The villains had been carted off. Hydro-Man in the back of a deep freeze truck to keep him frozen solid until he can be put in his special cell.
Kitty, upon spotting Peter, runs up to him and hugs him, missing the slight hiss he makes as she collides with his chest. "Are you like alright?" she asks him. She was deeply worried when he was dragged off by that lunatic on the glider.
"That was my question for you," Peter replies.
Kitty fixes him a look. "Um hello. Didn't we have this discussion already?"
"Yep but you're my girlfriend. It's my job to worry no matter what you can do."
Kitty's expression softens into a small smile. "Even if I like suddenly developed super-strength and invulnerability?"
"Sure although I would rather you didn't surpass me because then I'd have to trade in my man-card and become the girl of this relationship," he jokes.
"Well you do have the hair for it," Kitty jokes back, ruffling his adorable brown hair.
"Oh god you're planning to braid it or something aren't you?" Peter says in mock horror.
"Nah...maybe a simple pony tail...is that blood?" she asks, pointing at the red stain on his shirt.
Peter pulls his jacket closed. "It's just a scratch. It's nothing. Gobby got lucky," he tries to dismiss the seriousness of the injury.
Kitty looks at him concerned. "Do-do you get hurt often?"
"It happens Kitty. You know that surely."
Well yeah Kitty did but back at the mansion there was always Mr McCoy and the infirmary. "You...you should come back with us and have Mr McCoy look at that," she thinks.
"Nah. It'll be fine really," Peter insists.
Kitty remembers those words from the man she helped about being stubborn and not letting Peter push her away. "I don't recall making a suggestion Peter. You need to like have that looked at," she says with a very determined look in her eye. "Besides if you don't agree you'll find I'll just nag you constantly until I break your will to live."
"Clark is right. You are evil!"
Kitty punches him on the arm.
Peter rubs it. "Ok. Ow," he whines.
"Ok?" Kitty queries at what he means by that ok.
"Yes. Ok," Peter concedes defeat.
Kitty smiles. She takes his hand into hers and interlocks their fingers and gives him a squeeze. "It's just because I care," she whispers softly about why she is being so insistent.
"And that is the best reason," Peter whispers back before planting a kiss on her cheek.
"Ya have been hanging around Peter too much," Rogue says to Clark in low tones.
"Say what?" Clark asks back, clearly confused about where his girlfriend's mind has gone to.
"When ya were fighting tha redhead on too many steroids ya were bantering with her," Rogue points out.
"Uh huh. I see. And this couldn't just be how I am normally?"
"Clark ya never do that in training."
Clark shrugs. "Logan would never tolerate it," he points out. "But you are making an assumption on incomplete information. You've never seen what what I do when I go out at night so how do you know that I don't naturally just banter with crooks?"
Rogue looks at him oddly. Clark joked and, don't get her wrong here, she likes his jokes but the full out bantering she witnessed tonight she has never seen in training or on an X-Man mission. Then again Clark is right in that she has never seen him when he goes out at night or what he does.
Clark rubs his chin. "I'm telling you I can still feel that Thundra's punches."
Rogue stands on her toes and kisses him on the chin. "Ah'll kiss it all bettah when we go home," she promises.
Clark smiles as his mind imagines that. He looks at her, looking her over. "Are you ok? You didn't get hurt?"
"No. Missed out on all the action though," she says in a small complaint.
"You helped get people to safety. That's important."
"Ah know," Rogue says. Doesn't mean she doesn't wish she had helped more. Sometimes she thinks her powers aren't all that helpful when they need to be taking the offensive.
"Besides I would hate to see your dress ruined. You look so amazing that would be a crime," Clark compliments her.
"Ya silver-tongued devil ya," Rogue remarks with a smile and a playful elbow into his side. The sound of someone's loud voice catches her attention. Her head turns and she spots the Human Torch looking quite agitated as he says something to the Thing. "What's got his grits all fired up?"
"Uh apparently he's unhappy that Spider-Man and Superman stole some of his thunder," Clark reports what his hearing can pick up.
"Ya serious?"
"Well I'm paraphrasing but essentially yes."
"Ya see now ah'm not sorry at all ah played that trick on him."
"Hello my fine students!" a cheerful voice silkily interrupts as Domino slides in next to her sister, a huge smile on her face which, if her skin was pink, you would say was glowing with colour.
Rogue places her hands on hips and looks more than miffed at the fact Dom only makes an appearance now. "Where have ya been?" she demands to know.
"Ask your boyfriend," Domino replies, pointing at Clark...or more accurately the expression on his face.
Rogue looks and sees Clark has wrinkled his nose. "What?"
"I...really hate having a super sense of smell," Clark complains and Domino grins wider.
"What?"
Clark leans down and whispers in Rogue's ear what his nose had determined.
Rogue's head snaps round and she looks at Domino in disbelief. "Ya slept with Tony Stark!"
A large satisfied grin adorns Domino's face. "Wasn't a whole lot of sleeping involved. None actually."
Rogue closes her eyes and shudders. "Don't need ta know that Dom." She raises a hand to her head. "No wonder Iron Man nevah showed up. He was 'occupied' with ya," she has just worked out.
Dom shrugs. "From what I can see you guys handled it. Besides I had my reasons for doing this."
"Lahke?"
"I'll explain when we get home but trust me it was all for a good cause...and not just because I hadn't gotten any this year...which I hadn't."
"Oh gawd. TMI please," Rogue begs Dom to stop.
Dom smirks at Rogue's discomfort. "Come now sis do I need to explain to you about a girl's needs. We don't all get lucky enough to find a boyfriend with unlimited stamina you know," she teases Rogue further and gets Clark's cheeks to flush with colour too.
"Unlimited might be an exaggeration," Clark says and then wonders why he is saying it since this is a conversation he doesn't wish to have in a public place. Hell it's not a conversation he wants to have full stop.
"As good as. I'm guessing you wear my little sister out long before you are anywhere near done."
"Oh stop, please, before ah drain ya!" Rogue threatens.
"Oh go ahead but then you'd get all my memories of me and Tony and this little thing he does..."
Rogue clamps her gloved hand over Domino's mouth and glares. "Sister or not ah have no compunction in hurting ya Dom."
Domino laughs and removes Rogue's hand. "I'm just messing with you. I'll stop," she says. "Although it really was an interesting thing," she murmurs.
Rogue screams in frustration.
"Interesting evening wouldn't you agree Emma?" Shaw asks her telepathically so they can't be overheard as he and she wait for the police to let them go home.
Emma looks terribly uninterested. "If that's your description who I am to say otherwise."
"Come now. Didn't you enjoy meeting up with your old friends?" Shaw asks her.
Emma looks at him with a look of disdain. "I was not friends with them. I am not friends with anyone!" she insists strongly.
Shaw thinks Emma doth protest a bit too much but doesn't think it loud enough for her to hear. "Selene wants to use your team soon to confront them," he informs her.
"You're mentioning this now? Here?" Emma asks, wondering what his game is. "And why do we care what Selene wants?"
"Selene and her newly returned daughter. They weren't forthcoming with the details but apparently Superman is a key to a source of great power."
Since the Hellfire Club exists to take such power for itself Emma supposes she can see why the interest. "So why aren't we just going after Superman?" she asks why they just don't go for him directly. Her Hellions could take him. She is certain, especially with the new recruits she has.
Shaw shakes his head disapprovingly. "Come now Emma. Anyone who has even studied him in passing would see how powerful he is. Taking him down involves isolating him from any sort of support mechanism first. That means the X-Men with whom he is allied and then we go after him."
Emma considers Shaw's plan. "Perhaps a start might be to lure the X-Men in. Pretend to reach out to them. I have already made a start on their leader Cyclops."
Shaw smiles. " As ever Emma you never disappoint."
"I would certainly hope not. The day I do is obviously the day I must kill myself."
Shaw chuckles. "So you shall reveal the existence of your school and your students and attempt to convince Xavier you have decided a rapprochement is required and once the X-Men lower their guard..."
"My Hellions will take them, leaving Superman all alone."
"It would be helpful if you could get some of his secrets from Volcana," Shaw mentions.
"She is a very guarded person. Remains so and I still cannot bypass Xavier's mental blocks."
"Not like you Emma. You've had her in your possession for weeks," Shaw says, disappointed in the lack of progress Emma seems to be making.
"And if it was anyone but Charles Xavier I would have broken through the blocks by now but as much as I despise the old fool I recognise his power. If we want what Volcana knows any time soon she has to chose to tell us."
"I wonder what her reaction will be when you tell her that you are reaching out to her old friends."
"Hard to say." And Emma wonders why Shaw is so interested in Volcana. He didn't ask about her students' reaction. He asked specifically about Volcana. It makes her curious as to why.
"Make the approach to Xavier soon," Shaw advises. "Selene is not known for her patience."
"Of course my King. Hellfire burns eternal."
"Hellfire burns eternal."
It is, of course, important to cooperate with the police fully. That means it takes a long time before the X-Men can start making their way home. Kitty never lets go of Peter's hand to make sure he doesn't try and worm his way out of getting medical attention.
What everyone notices on the drive back is the tension between Scott and Jean who sit with a deliberate space between them.
Upon returning to the mansion there are the inevitable barrage of questions because what happened is on the news as soon as they enter the lobby.
"So Clark. Saw you getting cosy with the redhead. Nice," Bobby compliments him with a thumb's up.
"What are ya on about Drake?" Rogue wants to know, not looking pleased.
Bobby brings up an image on his phone and shows it to Rogue. It is the image of Thundra straddling atop of Clark. The press would have recorded the fight inevitably.
Rogue's head snaps round to look at her boyfriend for an explanation.
"What? She knocked me down and pinned me," Clark explains innocently. "Besides 5 seconds after that I was hitting her with heat vision and slamming her into a concrete wall."
Logan grabs the phone, much to Bobby's complaining, and looks at the image. "I thought I taught ya better than that," he complains at Clark. Honestly the kid needs to practice much more in his hand to hand stuff.
"Hey give me a break. You never saw her fight. She was better then you," Clark defends himself. "And she beat the Thing in the 5 minutes it took me to come home, get my costume and get back to New York," he continues in his defence.
"You met zhe Thing?" Kurt asks excitedly at hearing that.
"Yes. Nice guy...and Kurt. I'm sorry. I never asked how your evening went," Clark suddenly realises.
"It's...vell..."
"Well what?" Rogue asks, interested in knowing.
"Zhey didn't forbid me from ever seeing her again but...but...zhey vant to come over to zhe Institute and talk to zhe Professor and meet everyvone to see if Amanda is in any danger by dating me," Kurt explains and you can hear how nervous and in much of a panic he is about that. Amanda had phoned him a short while ago and told him of her parents' decision.
"Hey that's not so bad Kurt," Clark points out. "Well until they meet Kitty and then all hope is lost," he jokes.
Rogue rolls her eyes at another one of his hits on Kitty.
Ororo, meanwhile, is checking up on her friend. "Are you and Jonathan unharmed?" she asks Martha.
"Oh yes. Fine," Martha assures Ororo. "At least physically."
"I am not sure I understand."
"I...bumped into my once upon a time fiancé," Martha confesses with an expression that demonstrates how awkward that was.
"You were engaged? Before Jonathan?" Ororo asks, clearly surprised by this.
"I...lived a life I don't enjoying thinking about Ororo. I was someone else I didn't entirely like. In many ways Jonathan saved me from that. It's been almost 20 years since I last spoke to Sebastian and frankly if it's another 20 years or longer before I ever see him again I won't be complaining."
There is obviously a lot there going on emotionally for her friend. One day Ororo must see if she can get Martha to unburden herself but not tonight when it is obviously raw.
"So did you and Logan talk?" Martha asks in a sudden change of topic.
"We did," Ororo confirms.
"And?"
"I got him to agree to a date which I believe he thinks he will use to scare me off, push me away. He is mistaken on that. When I set my mind to a task I see it through."
"Well I hope it works out for you Ororo," Martha says sincerely. "God only knows he could use a woman like you to set him straight."
"Isn't that what what all women are for? Setting men straight."
Ororo and Martha share a laugh at that.
Eventually they get through the sea of questions and the X-Men gather in the Professor's office to discuss the evening's events apart from Beast and Kitty. Beast was treating Peter's injuries and Kitty wouldn't leave his side. There is a general summary from everyone of what their perspective was and their actions during the evening and finally they get onto Domino.
"Ok Dom. Spill it," Rogue tells her. "What were ya really up to with Stark?"
"What?" Jean asks. There was just something in Rogue's tone that made her ask it.
"She slept with Stark," Rogue states it.
Jean's eyes go wide and looks at Domino. "Y-you..." she stutters in disbelief.
Domino shrugs with a satisfied grin. "Did the horizontal tango, the dirty deed, rocked the casbah. Yep...but for good reason."
"I so don't want to be hearing this," Logan complains.
"Even if it involves Nick Fury?" Domino asks back.
That gets Logan's attention. "Fury?"
"He was there and they had a little meeting and he gave Stark a memory stick." Domino reaches down under her dress and pulls out a small black memory stick from where she hid it. "Here's a copy," she says as she throws it down on the Professor's desk. "And it is really better you don't ask how I managed to distract Stark long enough to get that," Dom advises. Her implication being sleeping with him was exactly how she distracted him.
The Professor decides to take Domino's advise, doesn't ask and simply picks the little plastic stick. "Did you manage at all to have a look at what's on it?" he asks.
"Not really. I was 'busy'...but from what I overheard Stark and Fury talking about it's mostly about that armour Luthor had. Fury wants Stark to try and fix the flaws or something so he can build his own little armoured powered force."
Logan growls. "Fury," he says it like he is swearing.
"They also talked about some sort of team. I did get a brief glance at the name from the data. The Avengers Initiative."
Logan laughs mirthlessly.
"Care to enlighten us Logan?" Scott asks, since Logan's reaction implies he knows something about this.
"It was an idea I heard being touted around when I worked for SHIELD. A group...an elite team of super soldiers to 'avenge' the wrongs of this world."
"Super soldiers?" Clark asks. "Like Captain America?"
Logan nods. "Exactly like him. SHIELD has been trying for decades to recreate and perfect the formula but as you recall from that stuff with Magneto and Rebirth they never managed it. Failing that the alternative that was proposed was to recruit a team of 'unique and special' individuals to form that team but since this almost certainly involved recruiting non-military people Fury had a hard time getting it approved."
"However the public reveal of mutants may have changed the mood music in Washington," Charles speculates.
"That's possible," Logan concedes. "And if Fury is recruiting Stark to join then we're going to have a big problem very, very soon."
"The stones," Clark whispers with guilt. SHIELD is after the stones and that means this brings closer a full scale conflict with them and their own little superpowered team now.
"Nothing has changed Clark," the Professor says, heading off what he feels Clark will say. "The reasons you must gain possession of the stones first remain. Neither Magneto nor SHIELD can have them. This just makes it more pressing for us to find them first."
"Yeah. Slight problem there is being we're at a dead end," Evan points out. He may not be the most academically inclined person but from the times he has helped he knows that they're completely stuck in the search for the stones at the moment.
Sadly Clark couldn't argue with that. They were at a dead end and unless some new clue comes up he...he isn't sure what he'll do. He may have to go to Jor-El and admit his failure and Clark cannot imagine the consequences of that.
"Is there anything ta do about what SHIELD is doing?" Rogue asks.
"We cannot stop them instigating whatever policies they choose to," the Professor says. "They are a government organisation and we must respect the law. Ideally I would prefer to have a good relationship with SHIELD but circumstances simply won't allow it at the moment. All we can do is try and keep informed on their activities and keep ourselves as prepared as possible for all contingencies."
Domino finishes retelling everything she overheard and soon after that the meeting breaks up so many tired people can get their sleep, let this sink in and in the morning they will discuss it further and make decisions about how they respond.
Later Hank wanders into the Professor's study where he finds Charles sitting alone in the dark apart from one lamp on the desk. Hank plops himself down in a chair.
"How is young Mr Parker?" Charles asks.
"The cut wasn't too deep. I cleaned up the wound and dressed it before Clark took him home."
"That's good."
"He has many scars," Hank mentions about Peter and it concerned him how someone so young has that many. Peter had been reluctant to discuss it making his usual jokes to wash off concern. Kitty had looked surprised at seeing the scars...or she may have been ogling Peter's physique. Hank isn't sure.
Charles sighs. "I guess we don't give much thought to what someone like Peter must endure alone. We always have you and an infirmary to treat people."
"I guess this brings us back to the decisions we have yet to make about who to invite to the Institute and who not and not being able to help everyone."
Charles knew he was procrastinating a little on that but how do you pick who needs the most help or whose powers might be the most useful to the team. "We will have to decide soon especially with what it is we are facing. We need more numbers. By now Magneto must have an army. SHIELD is attempting to create armoured powered agents and forming it's own superpowered team. The mutant hate groups gain followers and influence every day and then there is Sebastian Shaw."
"Shaw?" Hank inquires with loathing in his voice. He hadn't heard that name in a long time. Wished he had never had to ever hear it again.
"He was at the party tonight. I guess you didn't see him."
"No. I did not...but we can't be surprised. He is a man of great influence."
"Too great," Charles laments.
"You know something don't you. Something about what Shaw is up to."
"Shaw and his Inner Circle...we can't destroy them Hank. We tried once and look at the price we paid," Charles says with great sadness.
Hank feels the same sadness over those events.
"However I did manage to arrange a method of keeping track of his activities. If I couldn't be rid of him at least I could know what he was doing and prepare myself should he turn his attentions back to my direction."
"What method?" Hank wonders.
"I have an informant within the Inner Circle," Charles confesses for the first time which is a complete shock to Hank. "And before you protest Hank about the danger she volunteered."
"Who is she?"
"Sage."
"Tessa? I thought she left swearing never to speak to you again," Hank recalls the day Sage walked out in the aftermath of that last horrific clash with the Inner Circle.
"A performance for appearances sake," Charles explains. How else was she to infiltrate the Inner Circle unless they believed she had truly forsaken him.
"That was almost 20 years ago. She has been doing this for all that time?" Hank asks, almost astonished that Tessa could keep it up for so long...or maybe not as he recalls her nature.
Charles nods. "Yes. She chose in many ways to sacrifice what could have been her life to work her way up the organisation. It is a debt that cannot be repaid."
"What position does she hold?"
"Currently she is Shaw's personal assistant."
Hank's blue furry eyebrows rise. "That's close to him. Closer than I would have thought possible. Either she is very convincing or have you considered the alternative?"
"That she has been corrupted?"
Hank nods.
"I worry about it but I have seen no sign that she has whenever we meet. Tessa's will is indomitable as you will recall."
Hank does indeed recall. "Charles after what happened...we all tried to wash our hands of the Inner Circle. Accepting we couldn't destroy them. Instead we were destroyed by them. Yours and Magneto's friendship was lost along with the use of your legs. I...that was the day I started using my suppression serum so I could return to a normal life. Why did you not let it go?"
"Because I couldn't. If I did nothing, Hank, that would betray the memory of the friends we lost. I knew one day I would form another team of X-Men and that Shaw would eventually turn his interest back to me. Ignoring me for the last 20 years has no doubt been his way of showing his contempt for me and how insignificant I am in his view."
"But no longer," Hank can guess.
"No. For some reason, Sage couldn't give me a full one, Shaw has turned his interest back to us. They're coming Henry. Soon. From what Sage told me it will start with Emma."
"Emma?" Hank queries, not familiar with that name.
"Frost. Did I mention her to you?"
"I believe you did. Former student. Walked out after...her brother's death was it?"
Charles nods. "She always felt I was too passive in my approach. She ended up linking this philosophy to her brother's death as in if my rules had allowed her to use her powers in a more aggressive fashion she could have prevented it. There were a lot of other words I won't repeat before she walked out. That was over 4 years ago. In the time that has passed she inherited her family company from her father. I'm fairly certain she somehow altered his will to accomplish that. That brought her to Shaw's attention."
"She's a member of the Inner Circle?"
"White Queen which is impressive for only a few years membership. From what Sage says Shaw favours her greatly which explains her rapid rise. She also set up a mutant school of her own just to spite me although as far as I am aware she does not know I know all this about her which gives us the advantage when Shaw comes."
"He's going to use Emma and her students against us," Hank surmises.
"Believing I don't know that behind it all is him. It won't be a direct attack at first. You know how the Inner Circle works."
"They will seek to undermine and divide us. Try and lure some of us to their side. Weaken us from within essentially."
"I won't allow it Hank. Not this time."
"Then you need to tell the students what they are about to face."
"I will. Not today though. When Emma comes, which she will, it is better there are no stray thoughts for her to pick up on. We will let her play her hand and then I will tell them everything."
"We will tell them everything," Hank corrects Charles. He was there too. He has to take responsibility for also keeping the Inner Circle a secret all these years. A dread forms in his stomach because Hank knows this will get very bad. It always does when the Inner Circle is involved. All he can hope is that they don't make the same catastrophic misjudgments they did 20 years ago and that they survive the storm that is coming.
Rogue lies in her bed, almost asleep, when she feels the bed dip and strong arms wrap around her from behind. Lips gently kiss her shoulder. "Hey," her boyfriend whispers to her.
"Hey," she whispers back, happy that he's here to keep her company.
Clark just got back from dropping Peter off home. "Some night huh," he remarks.
"Tell meh about it."
"So I believe someone promised to kiss me all better," he teases.
Rogue smiles and rolls over to see the pouty expression on his face. She kisses him on the lips which evolves into a slow, exploration of each other's mouths. When they stop Rogue asks, "What was tha story with that woman anyway?"
"Not sure. She said she was from the 23rd century."
"Oh wow that's not crazy or anything," Rogue rolls off her sarcasm.
"I wouldn't call her crazy," Clark objects to that description.
"Why not?" Rogue asks, puzzled by why he is defending the woman.
"I looked her in the eye and there wasn't insanity in there. A lust for battle like Logan gets certainly."
"Clark she claims ta come from tha future," Rogue reminds him of what she thinks backs up her claim that the woman is crazy. "Ah know we live in a world that resembles science fiction half tha tahme but ah don't think tha craziness stretches ta tahme travel."
"I never said she wasn't delusional just not crazy. There is a difference," Clark defends his claim. "Besides she'll be back. She promised to return to finish humiliating me or words to that effect and maybe we'll get the true answers then."
"Ah can't believe ya let her get away."
"That's not exactly what happened," Clark defends himself. On the news it had shown Thundra's escape and Clark essentially standing around allowing it and he had been forced to explain his decision during the meeting down in the office. "I told you why I did it. It would have taken far too long to keep fighting her when I needed to go find Peter."
Rogue supposes she can understand Clark's thinking. He isn't a violent person so talking his way out of a fight fits in with his character. "What was that she vanished into?" she asks.
"Some kind of portal...although God only knows where she got that sort of technology from. I didn't think Earth was advanced enough. Then again I said the same thing about the Sentinels didn't I?"
"As ah recall, yep."
"You were right. We live in science fiction."
"There was doubt ah was right?" Rogue questions that with her usual sassiness.
Clark laughs and kisses her. "I love you," he says with deep emotion.
"Ah love ya too sugah," Rogue returns it with the same emotion.
Rogue snuggles into Clark's form as he wraps a protective arm around her. Sometimes it is just nice to lie together. Clark soon feels Rogue's body slip into the total relaxation of sleep. He will eventually drift off for a couple of hours of his own slumber, just not right now. His mind is too active as he replays the night's events over and over in his head. He really hopes he didn't make a mistake over letting Thundra go.
Clark can't help but wonder who she really is though and where she went.
Greater Miago(Milwaukee-Chicago), 250 years from now...
The energy within the circular structure of the Chronogate fluctuates mere moments before Thundra strides out into the facility that holds the device. She is met by two guards and her chief scientist in all the Republic, a trusted friend named Kara. They are all dressed similar except for the colour. Kara's uniform is silver while the guards dress in greys. The guards are armed with long spears and swords holster to their hips. Like all women of this time they are tall and powerfully built. They all bow their heads in Thundra's presence.
Kara steps forward to greet her ruler. She has blond hair and blue eyes and had been named after a great female hero of an earlier time, who was now an icon within this society, due to the fact she bore a resemblance to that Kara. "Welcome back Matriarch," Kara says in reverence using Thundra's title as supreme leader of the United Sisterhood Republic.
"Kara," Thundra greets her comrade warmly.
"Are you injured?" Kara asks at the black scorching upon Thundra's top.
"A trifle," Thundra dismisses it.
"You were in battle," Kara can deduce. "Was it Benjamin Grimm once again?"
"No. Much better," Thundra says grinning. "It was Superman."
Kara audibly gasps. "I-I was not aware he appeared so early in the timeline."
"Neither was I. It does not matter."
"Were you victorious?" Kara desires to know. Just because she's a scientist doesn't mean that the warrior's spirit doesn't beat in her heart.
"I halted the battle before a conclusion could be reached."
"May I ask why Matriarch?"
"Because he was only a boy. When I defeat him I want it to be the man I meet in battle."
"Of course Matriarch," Kara says in complete understanding. There is no glory in defeating a child, even a male one.
Thundra lifts her right hand, which is closed in a fist and opens it. Within are several dark strands of hair she ripped off Superman's head. She strides over to Kara and holds the strands out. "Superman's hair. I want his genetics analysed," she commands.
Kara takes the strands as if they were something not to touched. As if holding the hair of the ultimate symbol of the hated male species would contaminate her. "May I ask to what purpose?"
"Superman is the most powerful man who has ever lived yes?"
"According to our historical research that is an argument that can be made," Kara will admit.
"We must think of the future. To completely subdue the insolent male tribes that remain free on this world it will take one stronger than I. My trips through time have allowed me to understand this. Imagine if Superman's strength was added to our genetics."
The possibilities flash in front of Kara's eyes as she imagines the next generation of warriors that could be created. "I will attempt this...but it may be difficult," she cautions. "We don't have much data that has survived from the 21st century on Kryptonian physiology...and I am almost certain we will require more than a sample of his hair later."
"Then I will retrieve more later. I just want his DNA studied for the moment...and my own."
"Your own Matriarch?" Kara questions, clearly confused by the request. "Your DNA is perfect. As flawless as the day you emerged from the birthing pod."
"The future Kara. I think of the future. I am not immortal. I know this. I desire a daughter to inherit my position one day. Can you think of a better father than Superman?"
"F-Father?" Kara says in shock. They don't have fathers. Men in their society are merely slaves and nothing else as they should be. The citizens of their great Republic are grown in birthing pods where they are engineered to be the perfect warriors.
"I want you to find a way to make me compatible with Superman," Thundra states her desires.
"Matriarch...is this wise? Many will not accept it." The idea of producing children that way...ugh. It's almost unthinkable.
"Kara. The birthing pods fail more and more every year. We cannot repair them. When the last one breaks we will have no choice but to resort to procreation through sexual reproduction for our species to continue," Thundra bluntly states the position of her society. The pods are left overs from earlier times and the resources and technology to repair them no longer exists. Destroyed in the war of the Overmen. "As leader I must show the way forward our people will need to take. Besides I think I would much enjoy the method of extracting more DNA from Superman," she says with a salacious grin.
Kara hides a look her face is desperate to pull. She hopes that was her Matriarch making jest but it is hard to tell. She does not 100% agree with what Thundra is proposing, despite her Matriarch stating the dire truth of the state of the future of their species, but she will do as asked. She holds the curly dark strands of hair up in front of her eyes. Here now, within those thin strands, possibly lies the salvation of the sisterhood...or it's end.
Author's Note: There is a past between Xavier, Shaw and the Inner Circle which will be expanded on soon. A First Class of X-Men so to speak. As for Thundra, in the comics she ended up fathering a daughter with the Hulk, using the strongest man who ever lived to create a more powerful daughter to follow her. Essentially I'm just substituting Clark for the Hulk in that desire. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Rogue starts to suspect something is off about Cat Grant leading to the question; who is Cat Grant really?