Lauren was glad that not only was Gem ok after getting stitched up, but a good sport about it. She couldn't help the lingering guilt at accidentally hurting someone, but Gem had a good point that it was better to find out in a controlled environment rather than her unintentionally unleashing her powers when she was angry or upset. Or even in defense of herself if Sentinel Services came crashing through their door. A small gash on the hand was much preferred over accidentally slicing someone in half or a limb off completely.
Even if Sentinel Service agents were her enemy, she didn't want to kill anyone.
Her guilt soon dissipated and was replaced with sisterly scorn with how lovesick her bother looked when he was with Gemma, the two rushed away before her mom was finished telling Gem how to care for her wound.
"You should really talk with Andy, he spends a lot of time with Gem alone in her room," Lauren thought of the several times he had interrupted her and Wes and thought a little bit of revenge snitching was warranted. She only hoped her mother thought her helpful information was from sisterly concern and not payback.
She almost felt guilty when her mom looked a bit sick at the thought of her son and a girl alone in a room.
Almost.
"Ah, training done already?" Reed came over when he saw his daughter back in the main building with her mother.
"Bit of a training injury, cut it short," she snickered at her own pun, which only confused Reed. He looked to his wife and she shook her head, alerting him that it wasn't something to talk about at the moment.
"Since you're here," Reed changed the subject, "We need to speak with you…about Wes."
Lauren sighed and her shoulders sagged, she wondered if this was what instant karma was as she had just teased about Andy. It wasn't fair that he could annoy her with apparently no repercussions from the universe, and she did one little joke and immediately regretted sticking around.
"You don't want me dating a mutant?" which she thought was unfair and unreasonable. It was also the only thing she could think of, of why they would have a problem with him. He had otherwise been a perfect gentleman and helpful around the compound. "I get it, ok?" she started, she didn't actually get it, but she found that if she agreed with them on something, then they were more likely to be amiable later.
She also knew that if they had the same conversation with Andy about Gemma, then they would be in for a much bigger fight and Lauren would look reasonable and biddable in comparison.
"No, that's not it," Reed insisted. "Look at this," and he handed her a blue file, filled with the police report and the details of the suspect.
She frowned at the paper when she opened the folder, instantly realizing that it was a sketch of someone who had many similar features as Wes. She read the line items and by the description it sounded awfully like his powers.
"I've been going over the criminal files, the ones we got from Baton Rouge," as if there were other criminal files he had stolen from somewhere. It annoyed her how he emphasized they were criminal files. "This is Wes' file."
"You don't know that for sure," she insisted, automatically wanting to defend him. "This doesn't list a name, and this rough sketch," she could emphasize words too, "could be anyone, these descriptions are vague and could describe anyone of Spanish or Native decent."
Part of Reed was proud of Lauren for being able to point that out, perhaps in their original life, she could have followed in his footsteps and would have become a lawyer.
"And this is all the way in Cartersville," she pointed out the location listed, which was an hour away.
"Lauren, you have to admit there's quite a resemblance," Caitlin told their clearly upset daughter gently, while her points might be true, there were too many similarities for it to be a coincidence.
"And do you see where it lists his ability?" Reed pointed out.
"Yeah, image manipulation, that's not proof. It's ambiguous. How do you know they don't mean this person can make physical pictures move? Like, they can bring photos or drawings to life?" she pointed out, which was much different than casting illusions and not out of the realm of possibilities when it came to mutant powers.
"How many criminal mutants have this ability…" Reed knew it was a good argument, who knew what the police mean for sure without asking them to clarify. It would be something he certainly would have pointed out, depending on which side he was on.
"Stop saying criminal, last time I checked it was innocent until proven guilty. I know the justice system might act like it doesn't apply to mutants, but it does. This is a file for a mutant they haven't arrested yet and can't even name or have a clear photo of."
Touche, damn she's good.
Caitlin thought, she knew Lauren had them in a corner and perhaps should have thought this confrontation through some more.
Reed flinched a bit at her tone, and at the accusation that mutants were by default treated unfairly, which was something he was seeing was the case.
"Even if this is him, we've all broken the law," she also pointed out her parents' hypocrisy, as if they weren't all currently fugitives from the law. Reed knew more than most that while Andy and Lauren might not have meant to cause destruction or use their powers in public, the law didn't give allowances for those situations. They broke the law, clear and simple.
"Running from Sentinel Services is one thing," Reed was losing his patience, "but Wes conned the owner of a jewelry store for his own profit," he desperately hoped that his daughter knew the difference.
"What about the things Gem stole? You don't seem too bothered by using them."
Again, Lauren had a point, but Caitlin saw an opportunity,
"We're not exactly thrilled with that either…"
But Lauren could only roll her eyes.
Reed was trying to explain that Wes was everything he was fighting against in his old life. Mutant powers weren't just dangerous, they could be tools for criminals to enrich themselves at the expense of others. He had prosecuted mutants who could phase through walls or had the power to disable locks. They had come before him because they used their powers to steal money or other things to profit illegally.
Perhaps some were treated unfairly, but some were genuinely guilty as well.
"You haven't changed," she accused her father, "You ask all these questions to prove you're right and ignoring what doesn't, and you're just assuming he's guilty. You've never cared about justice, you just want mutants locked up," her voice becoming higher and shriller the more she got upset and frustrated. Not only was her father accusing Wes of heinous things but pressing the issue without acknowledging her points.
"I have experience in this area, Lauren, and I know what I'm talking about. You have to look at this with clear eyes!" he raised his own voice.
"Just stop! OK?" she knew there was no getting through to her father when he was like this. She particularly did not like the implication that she was being emotional and not seeing things clearly, especially not from her father who was the real one being irrational. "You don't know him! You're just the same bigot who put away mutants for simply existing!" she flung down the files, turned, and rushed to be anywhere but there.
Caitlin and Reed's jaws dropped, hurt that not only would their daughter say such a thing, but think such a thing of her father.
He had always considered himself on the side of justice but given everything they were finding out about Sentinel Services, the crooked judge, and his own part in it all, maybe his daughter was right.
They looked forlornly at each other, unsure of what they should do. Eventually, Caitlin thought they ought to give her some space and try to speak to her again later.
Reed dejectedly picked up the files and decided to go back to the computer center to help Sage and Shatter out as much as he could.
Lauren's first instinct was to seek out Wes, he had been her rock and a comfort since he arrived at the Mutant Underground.
The tears that streamed down her face and her urge to yell at the world stopped her, however. She didn't want him to see what a mess she was, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him what her parents had tried to say about him.
She rushed through the bank, thankful that others were too busy with other things to really notice her. She saw the vine covered door to Gem's room, and hoped she could speak with someone. She knocked on the vines as if they were a real door, and she heard Gem call out,
"Who is it?"
Lauren figured she was there with Andy, but thought he deserved a few interruptions for all the ones he did for no reason other than brotherly spite.
"It's me, Lauren, can I please come in?"
Gem immediately let the vines down when she heard that Lauren was clearly upset.
Andy was about to say something snarky about her getting revenge but stopped when he saw she had been crying. She quickly rushed in, and Gem reclosed the vines. She offered for her to sit on her bed and brought out some snacks.
Lauren was surprised to see a stash of peanut butter and other goods, she raised an eyebrow and Andy gave a warning look to not snitch.
I wonder if Gem had a criminal file, would dad be as hard on her?
She wasn't going to tell her parents anything and was grateful for the treat as she scooped out a big spoonful of peanut butter and savored its rich, velvety texture.
"What happened?" Gem asked as it hadn't been even half an hour since they last saw her.
She explained the police file her father gave her on what looked to be Wes,
"I didn't want to admit how much the sketch did look like him, and that it at least matched his powers a little bit. The file says he robbed a jewelry store."
"How do we know the police didn't make it up to justify taking him in?" Andy pointed out as he sat crossed legged on the floor with her and also helped himself to the peanut butter, his point made Lauren feel better. It would make sense; their father had basically admitted all the judge really needed was for the police to get a mutant in front of him and it was a given that the mutant would be found guilty.
It seemed that both of Reed Strucker's children were good at looking at all sides.
"That's true," Gem agreed with her boyfriend, "The judge has already decided they're guilty for Sentinel Services, this is all just a paper trail in case they're FOIA'd."
The more she thought of it along those lines, the angrier she got at her dad. They were a little familiar with the Freedom of Information Act, their father complained about it often enough since he worked for the DA's office. It allowed the public to request government records, and they had to produce them in a certain amount of time or face legal consequences. Lauren was too angry to wonder too deeply how Gem knew about it, and it didn't occur to Andy at all.
"I can't believe he would call Wes a criminal just from these files alone. He's only spoke to him, what? Like three times since he's gotten here?" Gem and Wes had come to the compound around the same time.
Lauren nodded as she would know since they had been practically stuck at the hip since he got there.
Who was Reed Strucker to judge anyone, anymore?
"Also, like, who cares if he robbed a jewelry store. They're all blood diamonds anyway and the owner was probably insured," Gem went on. "It's basically a victimless crime."
"Well, I mean…stealing is wrong?" Lauren wasn't totally on board with Gem's thinking. "Stealing stuff like diamonds is wrong, stealing food is different," she realized how she was sounding and didn't want to offend Gem who clearly had done the latter.
"It's not when it's rich assholes who profit off of slave labour…" Gem went on as if Lauren didn't apologize because she didn't care, "and lets say the guy was selling ethically sourced diamonds," which she highly doubted, but was willing to believe it for argument's sake, "the real question to ask isn't if he stole from a jewelry store, it's why would a teenage mutant steal from a jewelry store? Why not rob a bank and get cash directly? Jewels have to be sold for them to do anything for him. When you're on the streets, cash is king. Stolen stuff is only worth something if someone is willing to buy it. Even pawn shops will refuse items if they can tell it's obviously been stolen. The shady ones who don't care and would buy, it's unlikely they'd give even a fifth of what it would be worth because they know you're desperate to sell it."
Neither Andy or Lauren would have thought of that, it was further proof that Gem had been on the streets far longer than they had.
"It sounds like someone else's idea. The two questions I would ask: where was he sleeping before he robbed that store and when was the last time he ate? Not everyone is lucky enough to be picked up by the Mutant Underground the same week they're on the run from the law. Sometimes, we're kicked out, just figuring out our powers, and we don't have a choice other than to just roll over a die. It's not like places are handing out places to stay, food to eat, or jobs to teenage mutants," Gem huffed, getting worked up, swinging her spoon of peanut butter around as it clung for dear life to not splatter around.
"One of the reasons I fucked off to the woods alone," Gem ranted, "was because creepy guys were approaching mutants in the homeless shelters and tent cities. They were basically recruiting for gangs by offering food and shelter. If I was a dude and convinced they weren't recruiting for a sex slave ring, I probably would have joined. I'd like to see your dad go three days without eating, a safe place to sleep, or clean water and then turn down any offer for help."
How dare Mr. Strucker pass judgement on any of us?
Gem calmed a bit and remembered this was their father she was getting angry at when Andy took her hand and squeezed, hoping to give her some comfort. The siblings politely ignored the flowers that bloomed and the vines that grew thicker with Gem's anger.
Lauren felt a bit ashamed, she had been determined that the file wasn't actually of Wes and didn't want to think of him as a criminal. She hated that she fell into her father's way of thinking, that using their powers to steal did make them bad guys.
Seeing Gem and thinking of being a mutant on the streets, it was surviving first and foremost, and it was people like her father that created and perpetuated the system where it gave mutants little choice in how to survive.
While the Struckers had been on the run, it was only a few days before they joined the Mutant Underground. Between leaving their old life and living at the bank, they had enough cash on hand to sleep comfortably at motels and eat at vending machines and diners. Even then, she had used her powers to steal a few snacks. It wasn't on the same level as stealing diamonds, but stealing to survive was stealing to survive. They had never truly been desperate, nor barely uncomfortable. They always had a roof over their head and food in their bellies.
Their situation was basically luxurious compared to what others had to go through.
The very food she was eating at the moment was probably stolen, would her dad judge them for eating it? Perhaps peanut butter was a luxury those days, but with the way Andy was scarfing it down, he clearly needed the calories. He was annoyingly growing at a fast pace and had started to tower over her.
Her little brother wasn't actually little, and who knew how malnutrition would have affected his growth if their meals weren't supplemented by Gemma.
She knew her mom would especially turn a blind eye for her son, because it seemed when they broke the law it was justifiable. If others broke the law, they were criminals.
After a few moments of silence, finding comfort in the food and simply contemplating life, Gem added,
"Look, ask Wes if what's in the files is true. Either they made it up or he should have a chance to explain himself. I don't know him that well, but my gut tells me that he didn't rob a jewelry store for funsies, if it was his idea at all, and then went to go sit on a yacht and sip on White Claws."
Lauren nodded, agreeing. She knew that she technically hadn't known Wes that long either, but she was spending most of her time with him. He was helpful, kind, funny, and hadn't even left the compound since coming there. If he were a thief who stole for profit, then he wouldn't bother staying there. He wouldn't bother being helpful, and he wouldn't spend so much time trying to make her laugh.
Maybe she wasn't seeing with clear eyes because she was close to him. Still, it was better than just blindly presuming his guilt like her father was.
Lauren helped herself to more of Gem's stash and would probably be back for the bars of chocolate she eyed in the pile.
Gem was a girl, so Lauren thought she would understand her dire need of chocolate during certain times of the month, which was approaching soon.
"Andy, mom's noticed that you and Gem spend a lot of time by yourselves in this room," Lauren thought she could throw her brother a bone, conveniently omitting that she had brought it to their mother's attention in the first place, "So, expect to get a lecture about it."
He rolled his eyes and did a frustrated little growl. He almost missed high school and his parents working all the time, because in their old life, he and Gem could have hung out without their parents watching over them all the time. He didn't realize how nice it was to have most of the day away from them.
Plus, they'd have a real bed to cuddle on.
"Maybe we should be a bit more conspicuous out in the open…" Gem contemplated, the last thing she wanted was for Mr. and Mrs. Strucker to talk to her about Andy or for them to dislike her.
She laughed and gave him a kiss when he gave a slightly pathetic little whine at the thought of not spending more alone time together.
Lauren wanted to roll her eyes, she really hoped she didn't look so sappy when she was with Wes.
"Wanna go throw stuff off the roof?" she thought it would be a good distraction and a fair compromise.
And she was completely right as that immediately perked Andy up, it did sound fun.
Lauren could only look at the two puzzled, she wondered how Andy was able to find someone so well matched for himself while on the run.
They all left Gem's office, the two lovebirds headed towards the roof, and Lauren caught a bit of their conversation,
"If anyone asks, we're practicing our powers. Lets see if you can explode stuff before it hits the ground."
"Awesome," Andy was actually looking forward to it, and almost forgot his make out session was interrupted.
It was her right to give her little brother grief, but she couldn't help but smile at how happy and at ease he was with when he was Gemma.
OK, they are cute together.
She would admit to nobody but herself. She smiled a bit wider when she thought of Wes, and she was determined to have an open mind, and would defend him from her parents.
She went in search of him after a stop by the bathroom to clean her face up after crying. She found him in the makeshift library the Mutant Underground had put together. She presumed they bothered because while it was a way station on the way to Mexico, it seemed that the bank was one stop that was designated to be a long term safehouse as well.
Her mother mentioned that many of the books were "donated" to the Underground because many of the families that came through their doors had children who were on their way home from school when Sentinel Services tried to apprehend them.
It was actually rather macabre when Lauren thought about it. Each book was a testament to lives torn apart by Sentinel Services. Left behind because all they could take were the clothes on their back and whatever was worth carrying.
So many textbooks and children's books.
Wes looked like he had no care in the world as he casually lounged on a chair, feet up as he played with some sort of handheld device.
"Hi," she said softly, which got his attention immediately. Her heart softened even more towards him when he instantly responded instead of ignoring her in favor of the game he was playing.
"Hey," he greeted, and sat up straight and put his feet down.
It made her heart skip a beat when he ignored the game and smiled widely at seeing her. She had never dated anyone who looked at her the way Wes looked at her. Her pervious boyfriends had always seemed to grow bored at her presence or simply expected her to be there. Wes always perked up, as if every meeting was new and he was just as happy to see her as the first time.
"Have a minute?" although there wasn't much to do in the Mutant Underground other than chores, it still felt polite to ask.
"Yeah," was his easy-going reply. "Found this behind the books. Saved me from actually having to read one," he was dismissive of the game.
Lauren couldn't help but smile at the small joke, Polaris might not appreciate his humour, but she did. She understood that they were in a precarious situation, but she didn't want to live as if she had to literally look over her shoulder every minute of the day.
Wes brought a certain levity to the Underground that she thought they all desperately needed. He was charming and witty; she thought her parents couldn't possibly have blamed her for starting to fall for him.
He was surprised when she came to him and kissed him, her hand cradling his jaw tenderly. It was the first time they had kissed in such a public spot. He melted into her touch and returned her kiss just as fervently.
He wasn't sure what brought on the spontaneous kiss, and he wasn't one to argue, it was just a bit odd because she was usually more inconspicuous. He wondered if she was indicating she was willing to be more open with their relationship, she had been worried that it would stress out her parents, and it didn't help that her brother was so obvious with Gemma.
He kept a tender smile as they pressed their foreheads together, still desiring to be close.
She returned his smile and enjoyed the intimacy. He adjusted himself so that she could make herself fit flush against him while she stood.
She enjoyed the moment for another minute, but then she put a little space between them so that they could have the hard conversation.
He felt and saw the shift in mood, he took her hands into his,
"What's wrong?"
She steeled herself and hoped that it was a conversation that would not end in hurt feelings and tears.
"I have to ask you something," she started, "It's probably nothing…but my dad showed me a police file. There's someone in it who's wanted for some crimes…robbing a jewelry store," she tried to decipher what went on behind his eyes. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes immediately left hers and he had tensed up. "He thinks it might be you."
She wasn't sure what to make of his silence, so she went on.
"The description mentioned image manipulation…I told him it could mean a lot of things. Like the mutant could make art come to life…"
She wasn't sure if she was giving him a way out for his sake or her own. From his reaction, she felt in her heart that the police file was for him, and he had committed those crimes. In another life, she would have been angry. He had talked a big game about being proud of being a mutant and using his powers, but in reality, he had been using it to steal from people.
Her conversation with Gemma and Andy had made her see it in a different light. Wes deserved a chance to explain himself without her judgement.
"I…" Wes swallowed, wishing that he could take his past actions back. He wouldn't contemplate lying to her, however. She didn't deserve lies. "I did rob that store. I was the front man, I cast illusions to make us look like a happy couple wanting an engagement ring…it was just the one time, I swear…" he knew it was wrong, and he desperately wanted her to know it was just a one-time thing, one really stupid mistake. He hadn't done anything as big as robbing a jewelry store since.
Lauren heard Gem's voice in her head, reminding her that some mutants used their powers to survive, it prompted her to ask more questions.
"Where had you been sleeping…before robbing the jewelry store?" she stayed close to him, her fingers running through his hair at the nap of his neck, it comforted him that he wasn't pulling away from him.
Wes blinked, confused and surprised by the question, he had been expecting a bit of judgement and he wouldn't have blamed her.
It was a long time ago, and again he did not want to lie so he took his time to remember. He then had to take more time to gather the courage to tell her, because he knew that before her family went on the run, she had lived a nice life in the suburbs. She probably had a really nice house, and he wouldn't be surprised if she were the most popular girl at school.
If they had been human and went to the same school, he doubted she would have looked twice at him.
"I had been kicked out and I was a mess. For a while I was in shelters, but they had so many strict rules and didn't cut anyone any slack. The first time you broke the rules, you were kicked out because there were dozens of people behind you who wanted your cot. I lasted a few weeks, tried my best to keep to the curfew and other rules. But the only work I could get was the graveyard shifts and under the table at mom and pop shops. Eventually I found an abandoned warehouse. There were a ton of us, stuffed in. All the nicer, empty houses were taken by the gangs or simply more powerful mutants. It was actually one of the nicest places I had been because at least it had four walls and a roof," he couldn't help the sardonic laugh that escaped his lips. "Back then, Sentinel Services was content enough to just leave us homeless as long as we weren't using our powers. The foster system was overrun with actual orphaned mutants, or whose parents were locked up. Those of us who were simply kicked out…they didn't seem to care one way or another," he shrugged.
He was surprised when she cupped his face and he saw sympathy in her eyes, he wished he could feel the gentle swipe of her thumb across his jaw forever.
He didn't go into how filthy he would get since he rarely had access to running water, he hoped that she could simply fill in some of the blanks herself.
"When was the last time you ate before the store was robbed?"
He almost flinched at that question, he wasn't sure what it had to do with anything. His face felt heated at the subject, part of him didn't want to talk about it, embarrassed that she was prying into some of the hardest times of his life.
But he refrained from getting short with her, he felt he couldn't when he looked into her beautiful brown eyes, eyes that looked at him with kindness. She wasn't asking to be nosey, he knew that for sure at least.
"I really couldn't tell you," He honestly couldn't recall. "Sometimes we'd get lucky and people from churches would swing by the warehouse or wherever there was a tent city and hand out sandwiches. Sentinel Services normally didn't mind when we were homeless and out of sight of humans. We could be poor as long as they didn't have to see it," he couldn't help the bitterness that coloured his words. "But if someone wanted to show us kindness, suddenly they cared about health code violations. It was the same with dumpster diving…" he had wanted to stop when she flinched, unused to such desperation.
"Please, keep going," she said gently, apologies in her tone.
"Some restaurants were nice. They wrapped the food up as best they could so it would be edible for anyone who was going through their dumpster. Some places were outright dicks about it. They would have enough food to feed an army, they were throwing away every night, and instead of trying to give it to the hungry, they'd pour bleach over it."
It was probably the only time Wes had wished he had a power he could violently weaponize. He was glad to see her frown, that she agreed that it was an inhumane thing to do.
"Right…um, yeah…Sentinel Services only seemed to care about the law and others' welfare when it was screwing people over. They increased patrols and actually fined the restaurants that were trying to give food away. Some tried to find work arounds, but there were just so many of us and it was a small town. I was only sixteen when I got my powers. My parents were no more than a five-minute drive frown downtown Cartersville, and I was homeless and hungry."
"And that's why you robbed the store?"
"Part of it. These guys, they called themselves the Brotherhood. They were offering a place to stay and food. I don't remember the last time I ate, but I was hungry enough that I didn't care. I certainly needed a shower. They treated us to Five Guys, and I hadn't had red meat in months…I actually knew the jewelry store owner. He was a nice enough guy, I thought that we'd only take what was easy to grab from the displays. The really valuable stuff was in a vault, and I didn't think we'd have enough time or power to get it. It was supposed to be a quick smash and grab. My job was to cast the illusion as cover. We didn't account for cameras and found out that my powers don't work on those, so the security guard that monitored them had pulled the alarm. We got away with a bunch of stuff, but not nearly as much as they had hoped. One of the other guys had some sort of electrical power. He basically made all the electronics and lights explode. The main guy who recruited us was still impressed and wanted us to do more jobs. I won't lie, I was tempted to stay with them, but then they started talking all this stuff about mutant supremacy and not being afraid to use our powers to hurt people if necessary to get away…I had a really bad feeling about it, so I left with my cut and tried to start over in Atlanta. I found more of the same but was under an overpass this time instead of a warehouse. The money goes quick when you're homeless, being poor is so expensive. I basically lucked out that Sentinel Services raided us because the Underground found us and took me in…I guess the rest is history."
And that was the short and painful of it, Lauren got her answers.
"My dad's an asshole," she muttered after a few moments.
Whatever he thought she was going to say, it wasn't that and he couldn't help but laugh.
"He really is," she insisted. "My mom too," she wasn't about to give Caitlin a pass, "He has the nerve to give me stolen records from a dirty judge and try to warn me from dating you because they had a sketch of you. As if he didn't help create the problem. You're not a criminal," and she would say that as many times as she needed for everyone to believe it. "You were desperate…and if we weren't picked up by the Underground…I'm pretty sure we would have been easy pickin's because there's no way any of my family would have known how to survive on the streets once all of our cash ran out."
She knew her brother in particular would have been a target of gangs, and given how angry he was at the world, he might have joined them with a sadistic grin on his face.
"You must think I'm this spoiled princess," she lamented, and she wouldn't have blamed him. Not only had her life before been easy, but apparently so had her run from Sentinel Services. Her life seemed to be stuck on easy-mode compared to others.
"I think you were born and raised fortunate," he had the grace to be understanding of her point of view. "And the other stuff is pure dumb luck that you couldn't have helped. I wouldn't wish my experiences on anyone, so I don't blame you for having a good life. I'm glad that you were able to get to safety as quickly as you did."
He pulled her close for a hug, she wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you for telling me," they continued to hug, neither wanting to break the moment. "My parents are just going to have to deal with us dating," she said with all the confidence of a girl who grew up with parents who would not wield a chancla as a deadly weapon.
It did feel nice when she called what they had dating, it felt so normal and he felt like the luckiest guy in the world that she wanted him.
"I'm gonna go talk to my parents," Lauren was resolved to deal with this issue as soon as possible. She didn't want her parents to keep stewing in the idea that Wes was a criminal or a bad guy.
"Do you want me to come with?" he offered. Having Lauren's support made him confident enough that he could brave speaking with her dad. He had been worried that his past might come up, and his initial plan was to avoid that at all costs. Now that he knew that she understood, he wasn't ashamed anymore. "I don't mind talking to your dad, explaining my side or whatever."
"No, I think he's going to be a butt about it regardless of what we try to tell him, and he has all these lawyer-y mind tricks to get you to confess what he wants to hear. He was the number 1 prosecutor in the state for a reason."
That used to fill her with pride, that her father did important work and was an important person, but now she was just angry and sad.
He nodded, she knew her father better than he did, and he honestly wasn't eager to do it anyway.
She leaned to kiss him again, but their intimate moment was shattered when they heard something splat into the ground from outside, and it covered the windows in some sort of ooze.
"Gem!" Marcos yelled from somewhere in the bank, and Lauren swore she heard scampering feet running away along with manic laughter.
The two teens rushed to see if they could see anything from outside, and they were greeted with the sight of a pumpkin the size of a baby elephant in the parking lot. They also noticed that there were several other pumpkins and other gourds of varying sizes that they had not noticed being tossed off the roof.
The ground was a massacre of fall produce.
"What?!" Gem yelled back as if they weren't being nuisances. "We're practicing!"
There was then a slew of yelling in Spanish, Lauren didn't speak the language, but she figured from Wes' winced face that it wasn't polite.
Lauren rolled her eyes, her brother was definitely going to be in trouble. She then shrugged, she figured that if her parents were worried about Andy and his girlfriend, then they would be too distracted to care about her boyfriend.
She and Wes decided to make themselves useful and did a bit of cleaning and organizing around the bank. It was a good excuse to not only look helpful, but it gave them a few hours to themselves without anyone bothering them.
They gathered some of the vegetables from the garden, everything seemed to be in abundance and ripe, probably why Gem could get away with anything. Eventually Skyler and Naya joined them. He practiced his powers by gently pushing items off the vine, she by washing off the food.
Lauren thought it was a good time to see if she could carry items with her shields. She wasn't confident enough to attempt to use them to cut the vegetables, afraid she might mow down the entire garden.
They spoke of their first training sessions, and all agreed they preferred Gem's approach. Not only for experimenting on how far their powers could go, but what they could do in order to make chores easier. They didn't have to lug water all that far because of Naya's powers.
Lauren practiced making a small shield and using it as a tray to carry the vegetables to a drying rack or placed in the kitchen for anyone to eat.
Skyler pushed the scraps and dust from the kitchen into a dustpan.
There was something comforting about their powers being mundane. That maybe they weren't made to be weapons, it was just by chance that they could be. Maybe their powers were meant to help them and could be used to help others.
Lauren saw how Wes looked at the food, he couldn't help but think of the times he went hungry because Lauren had asked. She wondered how many nights he had wished he had Gem's power, just so he could survive? Would he have also escaped the Brotherhood if hunger didn't gnaw at his stomach most nights?
She decided, she wasn't going to let anyone judge them for their powers, for simply being mutants.
There was nothing wrong with being a mutant, and there was nothing wrong with using their powers, she was done with her parents trying to tell her otherwise.
Lauren was still a bit miffed at her parents, so she avoided them for the rest of the day and even during dinner. She made it a point to eat with her friends, and she didn't care if it looked weird to others that she was eating apart.
It seemed that her parents might have learned their lesson, as Andy was eating with them so that meant they hadn't given him any grief about Gemma for the day.
They were winding down for the night and Lauren felt like she could finally speak with her parents without losing her temper.
Andy was perceptive enough that he knew the look on his sister's face meant that he should make himself scarce.
"I'm gonna go say goodnight to Gem," he told them as he was leaving.
Normally Caitlin would have tried to stop him as the girl was only a floor away but could tell their daughter wanted to speak with them, privately. Even though they didn't have their hectic jobs and there were only so many chores to do at the Underground, it seemed their schedule was filled up with having to speak to their children on hard topics.
Lauren chose to keep standing when her parents sat on their bed. The room was not brightly lit as all they had were camping lamps for light. She crossed her arms, which she knew was a sign of closing herself off and wanting to protect herself from her parents. She wished she could hold them at her sides and stand up straight, but she found that she was more comfortable in a defensive position, something she never thought she would have to be with them.
The way they were suspicious of Wes, it confirmed every fear she had when she first discovered her powers. She felt justified in keeping them from everyone. She only regretted that her brother struggled so hard with the hint of power he had experienced with her that fateful day at the park, and she did her best to deny in order to protect her own secret.
"I spoke with Wes," she started, her father's back straightened, prepared to argue. She almost scoffed, he never seemed to turn off the attorney in him. She wasn't his opposing counsel, she was his daughter and still, his first instinct was to argue. "He admitted he robbed that store."
Perhaps if she had less control of her powers, she might have used them to push against her father and wipe the satisfied smirk that threatened to crack his face.
"He also admitted that he had been kicked out of his home at 16. He admitted that he had been living in a warehouse with several other mutants, most of them also kicked out or simply couldn't find jobs or housing because they had physical mutations. He admitted that he couldn't even remember the last time he ate," Lauren went on, staring her father in the eye, hoping to see some shame or compassion.
She didn't know what to think when he was as neutral as ever.
"Lauren, society only works if there are consequences to doing the wrong thing…"
"No," she said forcefully, refusing to shout or get over emotional, "You don't get to help create a problem, then judge people for how they survive that problem."
"Sweetheart…" he said softly, he couldn't believe his daughter would just sweep it under the rug.
"Dad…I don't care that he robbed a store," there she had said it, and she didn't care how disappointed he was in her. She found that she was more disappointed in him. "He could have robbed a million stores, I'm not gonna judge someone for trying to survive. We were on the run for like what? Three days? Three days of motels and fast food? Before Wes came here, he was homeless for more than a year. I love you guys, I really do. I appreciate that you gave up your lives for us…" her voice cracked, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. But she took a deep breath and reigned it in to get her point across, "but not everyone is lucky like that. Wes didn't have anyone. The Underground didn't find him, Social Services didn't care, he had nothing…nothing but his powers. Some bad people found him and promised him help when everyone in his life that should have helped him, abandoned him. He robbed one store, and guess what? He was still homeless, and the money ran out. He told me he got a bad vibe from the gang that recruited him…and he chose not to continue to steal. I think that should count for something."
Both Reed and Caitlin wilted a bit from hearing more context on Wes' situation. Caitlin couldn't help but soften her stance, not when their daughter was clearly so intent on defending the boy. Lauren had her fair share of boyfriends, nothing all that serious and Caitlin could admit she thought many of them were vapid himbos.
But she had never seen her daughter so fiercely defend one of them as she was Wes.
She also couldn't help but see Andy in that situation. What would have happened to him if they had run him off? She couldn't stomach the thought of either of her children having to fend for themselves on the street, she didn't understand how any parent could do that to their children.
"Perhaps," Reed started and took a moment to gather his thoughts. He didn't want to stick his foot in his mouth any more than he already had, "We were too quick to judge."
Lauren's first instinct was to be sarcastic, but she knew how hard it was for her father to swallow his pride, and as an attorney it was probably the closest she would ever hear him say he was wrong.
"If…it meant filling your bellies and keeping a roof over your head…I probably wouldn't think twice about robbing a store," he loved his family and would do anything for them. Perhaps, he should give more grace to a scared boy on his own, who chose to live in the face of starvation.
"He's really nice," Lauren reassured them in a small voice, afraid that if she was too defensive, then it would break the realization that her parents were coming to. "He didn't go on like a robbing spree or anything. He left Cartersville and came to Atlanta to escape them."
Reed could admit that perhaps he had overblown the situation. If Wes really was some criminal mastermind out for profit, then he would have a much thicker police record and probably wouldn't have been living in a tent city under an underpass.
Hell, even Gem was using her powers to squat in luxury apartments. It's a misdemeanor, but she probably was stealing food as well. Can't grow a garden in a condo.
And just because Gem didn't have a file in the judge's office, didn't mean there wasn't one somewhere. Sentinel Services had wanted her for a reason, and she got on their radar somehow.
"You're right…it's not fair to judge anyone, much less a scared kid trying to survive on their own," Reed admitted. He got up and opened his arms for a hug. He was never more relieved when Lauren didn't hesitate to embrace him.
Having her squeeze him tight was the best feeling in the world.
"I'm so glad I have a smart, compassionate, and brave daughter," he said into her hair as he stroked her golden locks. "We definitely needed a kick in the pants to get a better perspective."
Lauren let out a quick laugh and reveled in the closeness. Especially when her mother joined in on the hug.
I knew it was better to speak to her first.
Caitlin was glad she trusted her gut and told her husband to speak to their daughter before he went raging after Wes. Perhaps she ought to extend the same grace to Gem.
The next day, Reed found Wes sitting out front, watching the sun rise. Most of the others inside were still asleep, and it was a crisp fall morning.
In his old life, if he actually had a morning to himself, he would have enjoyed a hot cup of coffee and indulged in the stillness of the early morning while listening to the birds chirp. He wondered if the teen was enjoying the rare silence since he doubted there were many sunrises to enjoy while homeless and living under an underpass.
"Hey, can we talk?" Reed asked, he would treat Wes as a man and would come to him respectfully. The teen had survived more than most, and that's what Reed had to keep reminding himself of.
Wes sat up straight and nervously brushed his hands against his jeans. This was his girlfriend's dad and he had never really had a talk with one before. It also didn't help that Mr. Strucker knew of his past and had been unhappy enough about it to try to warn his daughter off from him.
"Sure," he stuttered out, and internally cursed himself. He wondered if he should have addressed Mr. Strucker as "sir," he knew some fathers were formal and strict like that.
Reed wasn't one to ever be that formal. His own father, when he was around, didn't enforce that type of rigid behaviour. It was one thing to do so in a court of law, it was another with a teenager.
And he needed a reminder that Wes was a teenager, only a few years older than his own son.
His daughter had a point, the night before. Where he was so used to asking questions to prove he was right, as was his job as a prosecutor. He had the burden of proving guilt, so he was used to always looking for it and he had gotten very good at finding it.
He softened when he saw how nervous the teen was. Reed had also been haunted through the night of all the things that could have happened to Andy if he had run away instead of coming home when his powers manifested. He thanked his lucky stars that his son and daughter trusted them enough to come home, that they still thought of it as a safe haven despite his line of work.
He loved his children, and their status as mutants would not change that. He and Caitlin gave up everything with little thought of doing otherwise and they'd do it over and over again.
If he should judge anyone harshly, it should be Wes' parents and every single adult in his life for failing him. He should judge the various government agencies that didn't help him. He should judge the mutants that lured him into a life of crime with the promise of food and help that should have been his by rights as a child.
Reed sat down next to Wes on the concrete steps, leaning forward and he wondered if he should lay a comforting hand on Wes' shoulder. He decided that perhaps he hadn't earned that right just yet, but instead,
"I owe you an apology," he got straight to the point. It hurt his heart a little that Wes seemed so surprised and even puzzled. "I made a lot of…assumptions about you, on very little evidence. And I judged you too harshly for things…things that you shouldn't have had to be in the position to decide, much less had any real choice in the matter. Stealing…diamonds…" he wanted to clarify that whatever food or necessities Wes might have stolen was not a real crime in his eyes, not after speaking with Lauren. His daughter also had a point that they very much were using and enjoying things that Gem had stolen.
It wasn't just the office supplies either. No one has really questioned where Gemma had gotten many of the seeds she had on her and were currently growing in their garden.
He also conveniently never questioned when his son would come back to their shared room with peanut butter on his breath after hanging with Gemma, and he knew for sure wasn't any peanut butter on the compound.
"…is not right, but neither was kicking you out of your house at 16. You were given a lifeline when drowning, and I shouldn't blame you for not caring, at least not at first, for where that lifeline came from. Lauren also made a good point that you only robbed the one store and chose to leave rather than stay with the gang. I think that should count for something."
"Yeah…I mean," Wes had a hard time articulating what he wanted to say, the relief of being understood that he wasn't a bad guy, just made a bad decision, was surging through his heart and it swelled in his chest. "I don't want to steal, I definitely don't want to hurt anyone…I was just so hungry…and I was so dirty from not showing for weeks…" tears threatened to spill from his eyes because it had been so long since he felt safe to talk to anyone about his struggles of homelessness, the shame surfacing like a riptide.
Despite being angry at his parents for not accepting him and kicking him out, he missed his dad. He missed the feeling of being safe and protected. He didn't know why he could keep it together for Lauren, but in front of Mr. Strucker, the emotions were that much more intense.
Reed was a solid presence, a man who wasn't too prideful to admit when he was wrong. A man who stood by his son and gave up his entire life for his children.
If only his own father had been even half the man Reed Strucker was.
"I'm sorry for judging you and I'm sorry you had to go through that, it wasn't right," Reed couldn't help but try to comfort the hurt teen, and he put his hand on his shoulder. When Wes finally broke down, Reed pulled him in close and let him cry it out on his shoulder. He rubbed a gentle hand up and down Wes' back, trying to sooth him as he let out a year's worth of fear and hurt.
He cursed Wes' parents, and he could only hope that if for some reason Andy and Lauren found themselves away from him and Caitlin, that someone would be there to try to protect and guide them.
The mutants in the Underground, the ones struggling on the streets, they didn't need his judgement. They needed help.
He saw that with food, shelter, and given the chance, Wes was helpful and productive around the compound. He could always be seen, with Lauren, around the bank doing chores; with nary a complaint or pushback. Wes had a ready, kind smile for everyone.
Reed promised himself that he would stop and ask the right questions, instead of questions so that he would be right.
"I'm sorry…" Wes started to apologize when he felt calm enough, a little embarrassed he had cried in front of his girlfriend's father, a wet stain on his shirt. It was not how he thought his morning would go that day. He wiped his eyes of the last of the evidence of his breakdown.
"No…you've had a rough year and I suspect not a lot of time to process it all. I'm glad you feel safe enough with me to feel anything," Reed tried to balance retaining some masculine pride with the boy as he knew how easily embarrassed teens got, conveying that he could be a trusted adult, and there was no shame in having a lot of feelings.
Reed would never know just how much that acknowledgement meant to Wes.
"So, I hope that you accept my apology…"
"Yeah, totally, it's ok…" he was honestly still surprised an adult would apologize him for anything.
"My daughter cares for you very much," and he tried not to smile when he saw Wes' own smile at the thought of Lauren saying such nice things about him to her parents, Reed recalled his own desperation for Caitlin's approval when he first started to court her. "She trusts you, and I'm learning that she's smart, capable, and I can trust her opinions…I hope that it extends to trusting that you will always be a gentleman…" Reed's tone indicated they weren't speaking of Wes' past any longer.
Reed hadn't planned on giving any kind of shovel talk, but since he was there…
"Oh, right, yeah…I would never…I'm not that kind of guy…to do that," he had trouble even articulating what he wouldn't do to Lauren without her permission, and he blushed a bit when he couldn't help but recall the secret rendezvous they've had in the tower. "Plus she can like slice with her shields," he recalled how she sliced Gem's hand and the potential for her shields to be weaponized. "She can…she'll let me know right away if I do something she doesn't like," his tone was in jest but the fear in his eyes told Reed that the boy knew the truth of his words.
Reed barked out a laugh, he suddenly felt maybe he didn't need to warn Wes of being a gentleman, that perhaps he should warn Wes to simply be careful. He was suddenly glad that Lauren had such powers, it certainly would take away some of his worst fears that used to keep him up at night in their old life.
Reed thought they had a good talk and that he said all that he needed to say.
"Lets go get some breakfast. Andy and Gem had harvested some potatoes yesterday, and Caitlin makes some mean home fries."
Wes smiled, it was the first time the underground felt a little less than a refugee camp and more like a home.
Later that day, Reed, Sage, and Shatter were back at the computer lab, all sitting comfortably in high end office chairs, going through the computer files. Sage's eyes were moving at light speed at command prompts and her hands were flying over the keyboard with almost a buzzing of clicks she was typing so quickly.
They let her work as she estimated that she would crack the encryption on the partitioned hard drive that day.
Reed was a little ashamed that he started to recognize some of the mutants in the files because he had helped prosecute them before they stood in front of Judge Kresge. Surely enough, each had the special marking they assumed meant that Sentinel Services was particularly interested in them, and each had impressive powers.
He started to wonder if he actually was a good attorney or if all his wins were simply predetermined.
They were sorting the files into piles. Some of the mutants were still on the run. The Underground hoped to send messages to all in their network to hopefully find those mutants before Sentinel Services did and prioritize them to get out of the country. They would tally how many mutants could potentially come across their threshold and would adjust accordingly.
Reed had heard about the boon of money that Gemma had taken from the judge. It would go a long way in helping them, but with the number of mutants they were still taking in and the ones on the run and on Sentinel Service list, the money would not last as long as they would hope.
Another pile was for ones that had been arrested and processed already, likely in Sentinel Service's program and perhaps working for them. The ones that he had initially prosecuted had "disappeared" after coming before Judge Kresge. Reed was unhappy to find that it was their biggest pile and that he had been part of why it was so high.
A third, disturbing pile had been mutants that had died while in custody, it was also alarmingly high.
"A-ha!" Sage proclaimed victory; her fingers were finally able to rest as the encrypted drive was open to her. "I'm in…we're onto you, you sonovabitches," she growled lowly as her powers quickly made sense of the data she found. "Go get the others, they're gonna want to be notified," she was mainly thinking of John and his concern for Pulse.
Reed immediately got up and went through the bank, calling the leadership to come to the computer lab. He told anyone he came across he was looking for the others, and word spread quickly.
Marcos, John, Dreamer, Blink, and Polaris joined them. Sage was a bit surprised that Blink was there, and apparently considered the main crew.
"Gem, Andy, leave," Reed didn't leave room for argument in his tone when he saw the pair attempt to join them. He didn't technically have authority to tell Gem to do anything, but he didn't think that the two should be involved. Andy had looked impatient and wanted to argue. He was certain his son felt that just because he had been on one mission, that meant he should go on others. But he and Caitlin were in agreement that it was a one off, and now that Blink was back, they would work with her powers instead of depending on Gem's.
Before he could argue, thankfully, Gem took Andy by the hand, and they went away. Andy's annoyance immediately melted away and was willing to do whatever Gem wanted to do. They didn't notice that before she left, she flicked her wrist and a small seed had been left behind. In its wake and out of their sight, a small primrose had bloomed.
Marcos, Polaris, and Reed frowned, hoping the teens weren't going to spend time alone somewhere else. Marcos and Polaris met eyes and then shifted to Blink. They really needed someone to speak to the teens about sex and using protection. It was something they couldn't keep procrastinating on, less they found themselves with another unplanned pregnancy.
Sage gave them a rundown of what she found,
"I was able to get through the first encrypted security. I'm still sorting through it…I found that there is another layer of encryption within the partition."
That made them all frown, they were glad that Sage had cracked through some of it, because it was better than nothing. It didn't bode well, in their estimation, that there was hidden information within the hidden information that the judge and Sentinel Services didn't want anyone to find.
"The information is as we suspect, it's about mutants who are a part of a special program. They don't just disappear; they definitely go into a specific facility instead of a regular prison. The program is tied to using mutants to aid in capturing other mutants, they frame it as a rehabilitation rather than imprisonment. They're calling it the Hound Program."
"Was Pulse in there?"
"Yes…it looks like he was one of the first," she didn't have to say experiments. Technically the judge's hard drive didn't specify it as such, but they had all known Pulse and there was no way he would have joined Sentinel Services of his own free will. They must be doing something illegal and unethical to force mutants to work for them.
John's jaw clenched and Dreamer tried to soothe the anger she knew was pulsing through him. He didn't shrug her touch off, but he also couldn't accept any comfort. He didn't want to be comforted, he wanted to be angry. He wanted to fight. He started to pace the computer lab.
"Was there anything about the location…" Reed started to ask the obvious questions for their next steps. He didn't doubt that John would want to rescue his friend, and Reed didn't like the idea of a government agency using mutants to do their dirty work for them. It was just a matter of time before they would set their sights on his children, if they weren't already a target.
"Nothing," Sage was sad to report, but was not surprised. The judge didn't need to know those details, only that Sentinel Services wanted specific mutants. "All we have is the courthouse's records of the general idea of the rehab program, who was selected, and the process of getting them ready to be sent away. It doesn't say anything about where they went."
"But if it's run by the Sentinel Services," he tried to argue as he felt it couldn't be all there was, "there has to be a record. It's a government program, they use government facilities. Even if the judge is dirty, there is an expected level of transparency, at least between agencies. The Department of Mutant Affairs has congressional power to subpoena records. They can't just say, ooops, sorry we don't know where these mutants went."
Marcos rolled his eyes and almost snorted, he couldn't believe that Reed just didn't get it. There was no actual justice in the Justice Department, not when it came to mutants. The Department of Mutant Affairs was a sham. It hadn't had a mutant Secretary, or a mutant in the government at all, since Hank McCoy disappeared with the X-Men. What should be there, and what was there were two different things.
"But it's not the government…at least the Hound Program is not overseen by Sentinel Services itself."
"What do you mean?" John asked, if not Sentinel Services, then who could do it?
"It's not run by the government, it's a private military contractor."
That caused Reed to release a harsh breath and suddenly the muddled records made more sense.
"What does that mean?" Polaris asked, confused at what it all meant.
"A government contractor has all the clearance and funding of the government, but with much looser oversight. Because of the PATRIOT Act and the reauthorization bills after 7/15, Congress allows agencies to bypass normal congressional funding and hiring restrictions by hiring contractors," Reed answered as best he could, there were more nuances to the issue, but it was the quick and dirty of it.
That just caused Polaris' frown to deepen, it was Congressional approved corruption as far as she was concerned, and Reed wasn't going to argue that point.
"Who's the contactor?" Reed turned his attention to Sage. He worked with a few in his time as a prosecutor, and he had been friends with many directors who oversaw the hiring of contractors. He was expecting Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, or Northrup Gruman, those were the more well-known defense contractors in the States.
"Trask Industries."
"Trask Industries?" he asked as he knew that couldn't be right. She nodded and he thought that still couldn't be right. "They shut down in '06."
"How do you know that?" John who was part of the military was also aware of military contractors, and he wondered why a federal prosecutor would know of an unknown defense company.
Reed swallowed hard, wishing he had maybe kept his mouth shut as it started to dawn on him that perhaps his family had another black mark against them.
"My father worked there for 35 years."
Marcos and Polaris pursed their lips together and the others looked at each other in worry.
This damn family is an albatross.
Was all Marcos could think as he tried to reign in his temper.
"Your father worked for Trask?" John wanted clarity that they were harboring a possible connection to the people who had hurt his friend. "Do you think he has something to do with all this?"
Reed scoffed, old resentment and bitterness bubbled in his gut. It was a reminder that he didn't know his father, and that was because the man abandoned him and his mother.
"I don't know," he said honestly even if he knew it would anger and frustrate the others. "I don't know anything anymore," it felt like everything he knew, everything he took pride in and worked for, was a lie.
Before Marcos could say anything derisive, Polaris took the lead,
"We'll…we'll look into that possible connection, later. Right now we still have another layer of encryption?" she asked Sage.
"Yes, now that I know the cypher key of the first, I suspect this layer will be similar and I think I'll be able to crack it soon."
"Good, let's focus on that. Maybe there is more information on location and more on Trask Industries. Can we comb the web for more information? It might have publicly shut down in 2006, but if they're still open then there's got to be a record of the company itself. People still need to get paid, and I doubt with an operation this big that it's in cash."
Reed certainly agreed with that, the rest nodded their agreement and went about to do other chores while Sage and the other computer nerds worked their magic.
He hadn't spoken to his father since before his children were born. He and Caitlin had agreed since the man wasn't in their life, they wouldn't speak of him to their children. They didn't want them to have hopes for a grandfather who ultimately did not want to be in their lives.
Now he had to not only tell his children they had a grandfather who was possibly attached to a program that weaponized mutants against other mutants, but that he knew exactly where his father was.