True Believers: Part Nine
Nathan froze. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly. Hell, the way his head was pounding, a two year-old could probably outwit him at the moment. But what Scott was implying was painfully, inescapably obvious, no matter how badly he wanted to try and pretend he hadn't understood.
"That was--a rhetorical question," he said slowly, to buy himself time. But his unease only grew as he remembered what Dom had said to him by the lake, about sensing Hana through the psi-link. And if Jean scanned me--what if the accident with Storm wasn't all she saw? What if there was something more?
Glancing warily at the two Askani, he saw nothing that would reassure him. Shavrin was outwardly composed, but he could almost taste her fear. Hana, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, almost amused. Meeting her eyes, he saw the challenge there, and resisted the impulse to rise to it. That was exactly what she wanted, he knew. To draw him into playing her version of the game.
"I know," Scott said, jarring Nathan from his staring contest with Hana. "But I was serious." Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Nathan turned away from Hana, whose expression was now slightly mocking, and faced his father. The look on Scott's face was resolute, but strangely haunted. He knew that look--he couldn't remember from where, exactly, but it left him with the disturbing sensation that the world was about to come crashing down around his ears yet again. Jean, standing beside Scott, was like a blank slate to him. She was shielding so tightly that he couldn't catch even a stray image. And she wouldn't meet his eyes. He wished he knew why.
"What are you saying?" he asked, enunciating his words carefully. The room was blurring in his vision again, and his shields were flickering under the weight of all the emotions raging in the room. Anger, fear, bafflement, anxiety--it was all so tangled he could barely tell what was coming from who. And the background noise was getting worse, a constant thunder-like rumbling in his mind. Much more of this, and he'd lose his shields entirely.
Scott didn't answer his question for a moment, looking down at Jean instead. Nathan concentrated, and managed to focus on him. Scott had all his defenses up, as well, but he wasn't controlling his emotions as completely. Nathan wondered, dimly, why he was sensing emotions so strongly. He wasn't an empath, after all--but what he felt from Scott was unmistakable. Indecision, followed almost instantly by chagrin, and then a steely determination, as if he'd fought some brief, internal battle. Nathan was sure that the end result of that battle had been a decision on Scott's part to keep something from him--what, he didn't know. If he'd had the energy to spare, he would have been angry.
"Ask her," Scott finally said in a neutral voice, gesturing at Hana. She stared back at him, lifting an eyebrow. A edge of real anger entered Scott's voice. "Ask her why she was telepathically manipulating the two of us when she first arrived. Why she wanted to set us at each other's throats."
And the world did come crashing down. Nathan reeled, part of him denying Scott's words even while the corner of his mind that was still working properly put the pieces together and grimly presented him with the hideous finished picture.
"No--" he muttered, taking a few shaky steps backwards so that he could use the edge of the bed to support himself. "No. Not--again." Memories came flooding back of all the times Blaquesmith had manipulated him in similar ways. Goading him into arguments, trapping him into situations where he had no choice but to follow the 'master' plan. Using him as his own personal executioner--
"Nate," Domino said softly, following him back over to the bed. She stayed close, but didn't try and touch him, as if she knew what kind of shape his shields were in. "Sit down before you fall over." He shook his head stubbornly, and she sighed. Even with the psi-link, he wasn't sensing any particularly harsh emotions from her. Only concern, and something more tender that reached through the link and tried to soothe his growing panic. "Please, Nate--"
"No," he grated, and reached down for the anger that had once given him the strength to finally defy Blaquesmith. The Phoenix-force hummed beckoningly, and for a moment, he was tempted. But he shut his ears to its song, all of his instincts telling him that he had to deal with this by himself. As himself. The anger welled up inside him, fierce and vibrant, and he used it ruthlessly. Not to strengthen his shields--anger alone couldn't do that--but as a buffer. Immersed in his own emotions, he was less vulnerable to what was streaming through his damaged shields. The background noise and the headache were still there, but at enough of a distance that he could ignore them. For now.
***
Domino winced as Nathan straightened and gave Hana a cold look. "Why?" he asked levelly, and the look in his eyes was far more alert than it had been a moment before. Domino had seen him do this before, watched him push pain and weariness aside and just keep going, no matter what obstacles stood in his way. She wasn't sure whether it was his Askani training or his own stubborn nature. A combination of both, probably.
But seeing it from him now worried her. As strong as he was, he was still only human. He had limits, and every instinct Domino had told her that he was pushing those limits dangerously. Over the years, she'd seen him in any number of difficult and dangerous situations, in crisis after crisis. But the last few months, with Onslaught and Zero Tolerance, the mess with Gina and now this--it was as if he'd lost the common sense all of his experience should have given him and slipped into full 'martyr' mode. And as afraid for him as she was, she was getting just a little bit pissed, too.
Hana shrugged as Nathan continued to stare at her. She seemed just as calm as she had earlier, but there was something in her eyes that made Domino wonder how much of her tranquility was real, and how much was an act. She said something in the battle language, and Domino scowled. Not this again--
Through the psi-link, she felt a flicker of irritation from Nathan. "It was neccessary. And you think that's all the explanation I need?" he said, in English. "Not by half." Hana's expression darkened, and Nathan gave her a wintry smile. "I'm not going to use the battle language, Hana. Surprised?" The corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a sardonic half-smile. "Secrecy is more than a habit with us, isn't it? It's in our blood." The smile vanished. "And I'm sick of it."
"Nathan," Jean started. He didn't look at her, and Domino grimaced. She could have told Jean not to bother. He was working up to something here, she sensed it, and he wasn't going to let anyone distract him. But Jean persisted, her maternal instincts clearly getting the better of her. "Nathan, you need to rest. Let the rest of us--"
"What?" Hana asked, switching back to English. "Deal with me?" She was glaring at Jean, and there was no amusement in her expression any longer. Domino stiffened warily. "Your arrogance astounds me," Hana continued icily.
"MY arrogance?" Jean asked sarcastically, her green eyes as hard as twin emeralds. "Sure you haven't gotten that backwards?"
Bad choice of words, Domino thought with a certain black amusement. Jean was not someone you wanted to piss off. She glanced around at the others. Cecilia looked downright lost, as if she wanted to ask what was going on but didn't dare. Ororo had a faintly distracted look on her face, as if her attention was turned inwards for some reason, and Hank was watching everything avidly. Standing beside Jean, Scott had instinctively fallen into a defensive posture--Domino didn't blame him, with what he must be getting through his psi-link with Jean. And Wisdom--his expression was far too casual to be anything but a mask. She gave him a warning look, but he met her gaze without flinching. She sighed. I wonder if Nate's stubborn streak is contagious? He certainly seems to have passed it on to these surrogate-sons of his--
Hana and Jean were still glaring at each other. "Tell me," Jean finally said in a smooth voice. "How did you think you were going to get away with it with me standing right there? You didn't even try to hide what you did. I'm not sure whether that makes you arrogant or just plain stupid." Domino could feel the power building in the air, and unlike when she had faced Ororo, she felt real fear. Lightning bolts, hurricane winds--those were real things. Dangerous, true, but at least they were dangers you could see. This was something else, this growing radiance around the two telepaths, Hana glowing an eerie blue and Jean a warm rose. Something deeper, and more dangerous.
***
Nathan watched the brewing battle for a moment, trying to figure out how he could stop it. This had gone too far, he thought frantically. He shouldn't have let Jean or anyone else get involved. This was a power struggle, pure and simple, and he'd spent too much time and effort hiding the ugly side of the Askani from the X-Men to let it be uncovered now. What could happen--oath, what was about to happen if he didn't do something--
It was Pete that broke the tension. "Bloody hell!" he suddenly snapped, giving Shavrin an angry look. Nathan blinked, but then realized what he was doing. Very good, Pete, very smooth--Dunworthy taught you something after all-- "You knew about this!" Pete growled, and Shavrin flinched.. "When you spoke to her in the battle language, while Nathan and Cyclops were snarling at each other--I didn't understand everything you said, but you stopped her, didn't you?"
"Yes," Shavrin said quietly. Pete's attempt at distraction was working. Hana had instinctively turned away from Jean, to defend her sister, and while Jean was still glowing, she had stepped back from the brink of open violence. "I felt--I did not agree with her methods."
"Of all the sodding--when were you going to tell us?" Pete demanded. "You have second thoughts or something and decide that maybe leading him around by the nose was the best way after all?"
Shavrin stopped her? Nathan thought, distracted. He didn't remember that--then again, he didn't remember sensing Hana's presence in his mind, either. He wished knowing that let him trust Shavrin. But as he thought back to their conversation in the War Room, he abruptly realized how few details she'd given him. By now, he should be beyond the 'need-to-know' crap, but she hadn't even told him what the consequences would be if he didn't stop Apocalypse.
And that business about not being able to see nexus points--that didn't make sense, Nathan realized sharply. If it was impossible for retrocognitives to see the specifics of each nexus, how had Blaquesmith known where to take him all those times? How had he been able to tell which events were central and which peripheral?
He shook himself from his reverie, seeing that Pete was still at it. Shavrin protested weakly that it hadn't been her place to betray her sister's confidence, and Pete spat a particularly sulphurous curse that made Cecilia cringe where she sat over at the monitoring station.
"Don't give me that friggin' nonsense!" Pete grated. The wrath he felt coming from Pete was so powerful that it staggered him, even wrapped as he was in his own anger. But it didn't surprise Nathan. Pete had seen Blaquesmith in action before, been both witness and victim of this same sort of treatment. "So why did you do it?" Pete demanded of Hana, who stared back at him silently. "Was he getting too comfortable here, too fond of having a family? Someone out there decide that your pet messiah needed his leash shortened?"
Hana frowned. "Keep a civil tongue in your head, kinsman!"
"I'm not your bloody kinsman!" Pete roared.
"You carry the medallion--"
Pete cursed. "Would the two of you stop throwing that in my face?" He pulled the medallion out of his pocket and hurled it to the floor. "There! That better? If carrying around a hunk of metal makes me part of your friggin' cult, I'll get Nate to take the bloody thing back!"
"Enough with the dramatics, Pete," Nathan said sharply, cutting him off.
"Like hell!"
"Pete," Nathan said, more quietly. Pete glared at him rebelliously, but finally subsided with a growl of frustration.
"Fine!" he said, biting off each word as if he loathed speaking them. "But I swear to God, Nathan, if you start forgetting you have a spine, I'm going to bloody well incinerate the bitch where she stands." Nathan raised an eyebrow, and Pete gave him a taut, humorless smile. "Think I'm joking? I won't stand by and watch this happen again, Nate. I can't." Nathan closed his eyes for a moment at the flood of images Pete's words evoked. They had fought in Mexico, but there had been another time, too, years later, with Pete's skills sharpened by experience and Askani training, and his will to win made stronger by needless guilt. Not the first time someone tried to beat some sense into me, but definitely the most painful. And if he'd found me earlier that time--oath, everything would be different-- He shook his head angrily, shaking off the sense of regret. What is, is, he told himself harshly, and re-focused on the situation at hand.
"Ha! As if you had any say in the matter, Wisdom!" Hana said viciously.
"Maybe not," Shavrin said, before Pete could reply to the implicit threat. She was very pale, but there was a set, determined look on her face. In that moment, Nathan was hit by the same powerful sense of familiarity he'd felt when he'd seen in her in the medlab for the first time. "But I, on the other hand, do."
I know her, he thought, confused. I've never met her before, but I know her, somehow--
Hana whirled on her sister. "Stay out of this!" she spat in the battle language.
"No," Shavrin said quietly, in English. Hana looked absolutely appalled, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I was wrong to listen to you for even a moment. I won't let that error grow into something that will do even more damage." Shavrin turned to Nathan. "Sorry has no meaning," she said calmly. "So I will let my actions speak for themselves."
She went to one knee, and in a subdued but firm voice, gave him her pledge.
***
"Bloody hell!" Pete breathed, his anger at Hana washed into the background by the shock of what he was seeing. "I don't bloody believe this!"
He'd been taught about this, but never seen it himself. The pledge of an Askani was very different from the oath--rarely given by anyone of rank, and never, NEVER broken. What Shavrin was doing was swearing her service, her loyalty, her very life to Cable. There was no question of her sincerity. No Askani had ever broken a pledge. But that brought up another question--what made such a drastic step neccessary? Pete scowled, knowing there was more going on than he realized. He hated it, but it was a familiar enough feeling after all the years he'd known Nathan.
"Wisdom?" Domino asked very quietly as Shavrin continued. "What's going on?"
"Something good," he answered, keeping his voice just as low. I hope. Cyclops and Phoenix looked like they wanted to step in, but Wisdom gave them a quick, imploring look, silently begging them not to interfere. Jean met his eyes for a moment, and then gave a reluctant nod. Storm, McCoy, and the younger doctor--what was her name, Cecily?--just watched. None of them could have any idea what was going on. As for Hana--he wasn't sure why she wasn't intervening, rather than standing there slowly stewing in her own juices. Casually, he moved himself into a position where he could stop her if she did try to meddle. Her attention focused on Shavrin, she didn't even seem to notice him.
Nathan was staring down at Shavrin, looking as stunned as Pete felt. She came to the end of the pledge and then stood, giving him a faint smile. He kept staring, eventually shaking his head.
"I didn't ask you to do that," he said bluntly. "I wouldn't ask anyone--do you understand what you just did?" He shook his head. "Of course you understand," he said in exasperation. "Stupid question. But I don't--I--"
"I know," she said softly. "But it was my choice, and it is done. I saw in your mind your memories of Blaquesmith. Something has gone very wrong here, Dayspring, you must believe me. Perhaps I can begin to make amends." Nathan stared down at her for a moment longer, looking troubled, and then finally nodded, speaking the rote formula that accepted her pledge. Satisfied, she turned to Hana, who looked like she was holding on to her self-control by the skin of her teeth. "I must fulfill my mission as I see fit," she said carefully.
"You fool!" Hana almost shrieked, using English for some reason. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've put my mission in jeopardy, all because of your pitiful, self-righteous--"
"Hana," Nathan said, not looking away from Shavrin. "Shut up."
Hana went white. "I beg your pardon?" she said in an incredulous whisper.
Pete couldn't suppress a grin as Nathan continued. "She just proved her good faith," Nathan said calmly. "I won't ask a pledge of you, but unless you make some show of your intentions, I want you to leave." She kept staring, and he raised an eyebrow. "More details about your mission would be a start."
Hana gaped at him, speechless for a full ten seconds. "On the subject of arrogance, look to yourself!" she snapped, her tone incredulous. "You have no right to demand anything from me, Dayspring! Not information, not a pledge, nothing!"
"You think so?" Nathan asked, his eyes narrowing. "It just occurred to me that you and Shavrin aren't like Blaquesmith at all. You were sent back here on specific, presumably well-defined missions. Not to be my all-purpose mentor, conscience, authority figure and puppet-master--"
Pete wondered briefly if he had time to run out for some popcorn. This was better than a movie.
"And?" Hana snapped.
"And, our lack of a previous relationship means you don't have the same--" Nathan's voice suddenly became bitter, "'moral' leverage he did. Which means that I should 'buck up', as Pete would say, and assert the authority I do possess."
***
Scott had had about as much as he could take. He didn't understand what was going on. From the way Wisdom and Nate were talking, it was fairly clear that they were both aware that Nathan had been manipulated in the past. Does he know what the Askani did to him? Scott thought, puzzled.
#No, he doesn't,# Jean said sharply. # If he'd been aware of it, I would have seen it in his mind when I scanned him. The conditioning is invisible when it's not active, Scott. I doubt he'd be able to find it even if he knew it was there. Sanctity knew what she was doing,# she finished bitterly.
But then what's going on? he sent back almost planitively. He heard a faint, humorless laugh through the link.
#A lot more than we realized, I think. Especially with Wisdom. He's got fairly formidable mental defenses, so I'm not seeing any details, but he's obviously in this up to his neck.#
Thank you for stating the obvious! Scott shot back impatiently. "Nathan, what are you doing?" he asked aloud, trying to make it a simple question rather than a demand. But he didn't like what he saw in Hana's eyes, as if whatever Nathan was talking about was slowly but surely pushing her over the edge.
Nathan gave him a quick look, and then glanced at Wisdom with a faint smile. "Growing a spine," he said simply, and Wisdom abruptly gaped at him.
"Oh, Lord," he said admiringly. "That's perfect. Absolutely, bloody well perfect!" He looked like he was about to dance a jig of sheer delight, and Nathan's smile grew wider. Scott was starting to feel seriously lost.
"I know, I know," Nathan said with some irony. "I should have thought of it years ago. Say 'I told you so', Pete. I know you're aching to say it."
"Doesn't matter!" Wisdom said exuberantly. "Five years ago, now, ten years in the bloody future--it's still absolutely brilliant! Anyways, the why of any situation and all that--"
"What are the two of you babbling about?" Storm said severely.
Wisdom started, as if surprised she'd spoken to them, but then gave her a euphoric grin. "Genius, your Goddess'ship," he said extravagantly, and Storm's eyebrows approached her hairline. Scott wondered briefly if Wisdom really knew what he was getting into, needling Ororo like that. Although after what happened in the commsuite, I can't say I blame him entirely-- "Sheer, bloody genius," Wisdom concluded. Still grinning, he turned back to Nathan. "A past era," he said, shaking his head.
"A past era," Nathan affirmed.
"I really ought to thank Dunworthy for all those bloody tedious lectures on Askani law and custom, I suppose," Wisdom said with a mock sigh.
"Otherwise you'd be as lost as we are?" Jean prompted rather ungently. Scott was glad she'd stepped in before he could. She was more subtle in matters like this, and the last thing Scott wanted to do was antagonize Nathan any more than absolutely neccessary, with what he was about to do when this conversation was over.
***
Pete felt a little sheepish. "Oops," he said. "Sorry, love." Jean gave him a pained look, and he raised a defensive hand. "Would ma'am be preferable?" he asked whimsically, and her expression grew positively baleful. "All right," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to keep you in the dark--Nate here does a good enough job of that all by his bloody self--"
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You said it yourself," he pointed out. "Askani law and custom is tedious. I didn't see any need to bore them with it--"
"Oh, do bore us," Hank suddenly put in, his expression enthusiastic. "The basic fascination of a sociological comparison aside, it would be delightful indeed to see how our lost Rachel adapted the principles and tenets of--"
"McCoy?" Nathan said, a little impatiently, and Hank closed his mouth. "What Pete meant by the 'past era' comment is fairly simple," he continued calmly. "Any member of the Clan in a past era is technically on war footing."
Shavrin cocked her head, looking intrigued. "Fascinating," she said admiringly. "I hadn't even thought of that."
"Care to let us temporally-challenged in on the joke?" Domino said severely. Glancing at her quickly, Pete didn't see any real anger in her expression. Then again, how could she be angry? Psi-linked to Nathan, she had to be feeling what he was feeling right now, and if Pete knew him at all, 'pleased with himself' wouldn't quite cover it.
"I'd be delighted to, love," Pete said expansively, chuckling as she rolled her eyes at him. "You see, most of the time, the Askani are under the clanmother's authority. Originally, that was the Mother Askani--Rachel Summers. Then Madame Sanctity, then--"
"Jenskot," Domino said suddenly, her eyes wide. Out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw Nathan's expression go distant and cold for a moment. He plunged on quickly. As worn out as he is, if he starts wallowing in 'what was', he'd probably go bloody catatonic again--
"Got it in one. But when the Clan's on war footing, the clanmother passes over authority to the Clan's war leader."
"Which would be me," Nathan put in dryly, his expression more natural again. "Even if the sword has been gone from my hands for twenty years." Pete saw puzzled looks on the faces of some of those in the room, but Nathan didn't stop to explain the whole sword business, thank God. If he had, someone would have made the whole King Arthur parallel, and Pete knew he'd done that whole joke to death years ago.
"Which means what?" Hank McCoy said, his eyes intent. "That they're technically under your command, Nathan?"
"Pretty much."
"I do not accept this!" Hana blazed, but her eyes darted this way and that, like those of a trapped animal. "The degenerate customs of your rebels are of no concern to me! And Aliya? A half-trained girl, a clanmother? The line broke with the destruction of the sanctuary in Ebonshire, Dayspring, you have no authority over--"
Pete's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Wait one bloody moment! You know about Ebonshire? How is that--what era are you from?" And why do I think I'm not going to like the answer? Jean Grey had stiffened, staring at Hana warily. The glow around her grew stronger once more, and Pete realized she was about a heartbeat away from slamming Hana head-first into the nearest wall.
The amusement had vanished from Nathan's expression. "Oath," he whispered, starting to look more than a little shaky again. "If you know about Ebonshire, you had to have--but Sanctity and Aliya were the last, Blaquesmith swore to me--" He looked around the room as if seeking answers, or simply reassurance. He was leaking emotions like a sieve; without a flicker of empathy himself, Pete could feel the confusion coming off Nathan in waves. He wasn't the only one who felt that way.
This wasn't possible. Sanctity and Aliya had been the last of the Sisterhood, and Sanctity had died in Ebonshire, according to everything that Blaquesmith had told them. Hell, Nate SAW it happen! You don't get more conclusive than that! Then again, Pete thought uneasily, who stayed dead in their world?
But if Hana knew about the destruction of the sanctuary--no, it wouldn't work! Unless Shavrin's journey had come not long before those of the other two sisters who had come back, close in time to the Cloister slaughter. If that was the case, and Hana had been accepted as a novice just before Shavrin left--according to the files, girls had been taken as novices around the age of twelve. Do the math, Pete told himself harshly. Say she was twelve or thirteen when the Cloisters fell--add on the years between that and the Canaanite attack on Ebonshire--what was it, sixteen or seventeen years?--and take into account that Hana looks at least fifteen years older than Shavrin. So she was old enough. She could have come back from beyond the destruction of the sanctuary--I'm getting a headache just thinking about it!
There were alternatives, of course. She could have traveled to her own future, to see what happened to Ebonshire. Or she could have scanned Nathan, although surely he would have sensed that, even in the state he was in--no, there was only one way to fix her temporal origins.
"Who sent you?" he asked Hana directly. She didn't answer him, and Pete frowned. There was no reason--no good reason--for her not to disclose who'd assigned her to this mission. "I said, who sent--"
Blue telekinetic energy suddenly lashed out at him, but a moment before it hit, it bounced off a shield that glowed a familiar gold. Pete, who'd started to dive out of the way, managed to keep his balance, and whirled towards Nathan, horrified as he realized what had just happened.
You're not supposed to use your powers! he thought as loudly as he could, trying to throw the words in Cable's direction. But Nathan wasn't through yet. The look on his face thunderous, he gestured in Hana's direction, a telekinetic blow slamming right through her hastily erected shield. They blunted the attack, but it still knocked her to the floor.
She started to get back up, but a sudden gust of wind blew up, keeping her down. Pete's head whipped around, and he saw Storm, hand outstretched and eyes glowing eerily, glaring at Hana. Then, Hana was enveloped in a rose-colored telekinetic bubble, and the wind died down as Storm let Jean take control.
"Nate!" Cyclops said sharply, and Pete cursed, feeling sick to his stomach as he saw Nathan swaying on his feet, blood trickling from his nose and a wild, unfocused look in his eyes. Domino threw her arms around him to keep him upright even as McCoy moved to help her.
"You idiot!" Domino snarled softly, but the anger on her face was overshadowed by fear. Nathan winced, and then pulled away from her and McCoy. Stubborn to the last, Pete thought, hovering anxiously as he watched Nathan fight the battle to stay on his feet and win it yet again, if by a much smaller margin this time. He always has to be in control of himself, Pete thought grimly. Blaquesmith was right, damn his non-existent heart. Nate's a living nexus point, he can't control what happens around him. So he thinks he has to control himself. Believing he can is the only thing that keeps him going.
Nathan focused on Hana as if she were the only one in the room. "If--you do that--again," he managed, utter exhaustion in his voice. "I will--kill you, 'sister'. I swear."
"Much obliged, Nathan," Pete muttered worriedly. "But I can fight my own battles."
Nathan gave him a ghost of a smile. "Could have--fooled me."
"Sod off," Pete grumbled, relieved to see the attempt at humor. If helping him had pushed Nathan into a relapse, he didn't know how he'd have lived with himself. "I know I haven't had too much luck against alpha-class psis in the past," he rambled on, "but it's the bloody principle of the thing--"
The door to the medlab slid aside. Pete glanced over sharply, not surprised to see the cavalry come thundering in. Logan, his claws out, Sam Guthrie and a white-faced Dana, and Bishop, who was toting a gun which could have given Cable's a run for its money in the size department. Kitty wasn't with them, and Pete felt a certain sense of relief at that. There were enough short tempers in the room already.
"We got a problem here?" Logan growled, studying the scene suspiciously. Pete could almost see him assess Hana, floating in the TK bubble, and class her as 'threat, contained'. "Cyke? Jeanie?" he asked, focusing on the two of them. "We got an uninvited guest that needs booting out?" Jean was still glowing, her attention all on Hana, but Scott started to say something to Logan.
He was cut off when Hana, still trapped in the bubble, started to laugh. It was a wild, humorless sound, almost hysterical, but she cut herself off almost immediately, and glared savagely up at Cable and Shavrin. "On your heads be it!" she snapped. "I wash my hands of you both. What will happen, what must happen--you've brought it on yourselves!"
Before anyone could move towards her, she teleported away. Jean cursed, chagrin in her green eyes.
"Damn it, I never even thought--"
"You couldn't have known how to block her teleport wavelength," Cable said wearily. His knees buckled, and he caught the edge of the bed to support himself. "I think I just made a major mistake," he said, his voice a little wild. Pete knew immediately he wasn't talking about using his powers. "You'd think I'd have learned better, with Blaquesmith--"
"That's not important right now, Nathan," Hank McCoy said briskly, but the professional tone couldn't quite cover the worry in his eyes. "Would you get back on the bed, please? I need to make sure you didn't--do yourself any further damage with your admittedly admirable defense of Mr. Wisdom."
"No," Nathan said, shaking his head. "Can't take the time for that." He looked over at Shavrin. "We have to warn my people," he said bleakly. "Blaquesmith--too many of them learned to obey him without question. They'd do the same for Hana, they're all familiar with an Askani sister's appearance."
"Dunworthy," Pete put in quickly. "Tell Dunworthy, let London Station pass the word on." Nathan glanced over at him, and Pete managed a faint smile, trying to cover his worry. "Remember who we're talking about here? Dunworthy says jump, everyone in the network says 'how high'. Dunworthy sends out a shoot-on-sight order to the other stations, Hana's going to find a cold welcome if she approaches anyone."
"Must we go that far?" Shavrin asked awkwardly.
Nathan closed his eyes for a moment. "Tempting," he muttered. "But it wouldn't work anyways." Opening his eyes, he took off his own medallion and handed it to Shavrin. "Scan Pete for coordinates to the London safehouse," he told her. "Show my medallion to Dunworthy, and pass on this order. I want a full tactical alert and a system-wide lockdown. No one goes in or out until we locate Hana. And if she tries to force her way into any of the stations, standard procedure. Tell Dunworthy that EXACTLY. Then brief the London team on the situation." He shivered. "I don't trust the com channels anymore, and I don't think this can wait until the rest of us get over there." He paused for a moment, thoughtfully. "Unless--how many can you teleport?"
I won't teleport with you," Shavrin said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be safe, in the condition you're in." Nathan gave her a quizzical look, and she smiled. "Obedience is best tempered with good sense. Besides, you can use the time in flight to meditate and rest, before--"
"Before we get to London and the shit hits the fan," Nathan said absently. It was Shavrin's turn to look puzzled. He gave Domino, who was still beside him, a limp smile. "I got that one right."
"Always one of your favorite expressions," she murmured dryly. "You're so fond of putting it into action." He smiled again, but then winced in pain. Domino reached towards him, but he flinched, and she stopped herself.
"Sooner rather than later would be good," Nathan said, looking sideways at Shavrin. Pete could see him struggling for control again. Having less luck, this time, I think--
Shavrin blinked, shaking her head. "Ah--very well, Dayspring," she said, still looking puzzled. She turned to Pete. "Wisdom?" she asked expectantly.
"Sure," Pete groused. "Scan Pete, Shavrin. Don't ASK Pete if he wants to be scanned--" Nathan gave him a harried look, and Pete sighed. "Never mind." The idea of submitting to a brief scan didn't bother him particularly, especially when the alternative was her taking the information out of Nathan's mind. According to McCoy, even Jean's quick scan earlier had been risky. Pete let down his defenses, showing Shavrin Dunworthy and the London safehouse. She was so quick he barely felt her presence in his mind. "My thanks," she said briefly, and then turned back to Nathan for a moment. "I will see you soon," she said softly.
"Shavrin--Askani, I mean--" he corrected himself awkwardly.
"Actually, Dayspring," she said with a wistful smile. "You might as well call me Shavrin."
Pete raised an eyebrow. That was a switch. "In for a penny, in for a pound, love?" he asked, and got a blank stare. "Sorry," he said with an uncertain smile. "Idiom."
"Hmmph," she said disgustedly. "Ridiculous langage." A flash of silver light, and she was gone.
"What's standard procedure, Nathan?" Domino asked quietly, from where she stood beside him. He blinked down at her for a moment, and she sighed worriedly. "I could feel how hard it was for you to give that order. What's standard procedure for evacuating a station under attack from a telepath?"
Pete winced. "It's not an evacuation, Domino," he said. "Not for key personnel, at least." She frowned, and he looked to Nathan for help. "What's the word for it again?"
Nathan said something in Askani. Domino folded her arms across her chest, giving him an impatient look, and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards briefly. "Scorched earth," he translated. "We have--various security levels. Those with low ratings do evacuate the station, but above a certain level--the others stay in the station and blow themselves up with it." The X-Men in the room started at him, and Domino gave a curiously disconsolate sigh. Nathan flinched. "Apocalypse--he has very talented telepaths," he said defensively. "One, about fifteen years ago in this era, figured out how to read the newly dead. When a mind dies, it clings to its most--important memories. The people in the stations--most of them don't have families. The mission is their life. It's the last thing they think about, and even when brain activity was all but gone, this telepath was able to pick up on those last thoughts."
"We talkin' necromancy here?" Logan asked incredulously.
"In a way," Nathan whispered, and now, Pete could feel sorrow coming from him. It was touching everyone else in the room, too, he could see it on their faces. "I'm not sure how--we were never able to duplicate it, but apparently it's not a specific ability. Just a--technique, that he passed on to other telepaths serving Apocalypse." He sighed. "The ones who stay in the stations--they have information that can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The stations are too scattered, even now--there's little to no chance of rescue if Apocalypse discovers one and devotes all his attention to attacking it. Especially lately, although he was able to block my bodysliding before, more often than not. So the people who stay behind are--making sure that there's not enough left of them to be scanned."
"Sir," Sam Guthrie said, looking horrified. "That's--"
"I don't need you to tell me what it is, Sam!" Cable snapped. "It's only happened three times over the last fifteen years--I ordered it, once--" He trailed off, his expression unguarded and full of pain.
"Is Hana that much of a threat?" Cyclops asked quietly.
"After what just happened? Yes." Cyclops looked like he wanted more details, but Nathan went on, growing more agitated. "You don't know what danger is until you face a fully-trained and thoroughly pissed Askani. I only ever pushed Blaquesmith to that point once, and I never did it again. And this business about coming from after Ebonshire--I don't know what that means, I don't want to imagine what kind of implications that might have--" Nathan swallowed, and turned back to Pete. "How long until the plane gets--" He broke off in mid-sentence, swaying. "I wish the flonqing room would stop spinning--"
"Hold still," Dana said severely, coming over to him and taking his face between her glowing hands for a moment. When the glow faded, she gave him a critical look. "Is that better?" He muttered something under his breath, and then headed for the door. "You're welcome," she said dryly.
"Nathan!" Domino snapped, going after him. "This is insane! You can barely stand up!"
"Doesn't matter," he muttered, and kept on going towards the door. Logan moved to block his way, and Nathan blinked at him for a moment. "You're in the way," he finally said.
"Observant of you to notice that, bub," Logan said dryly. Nathan stared at him blankly, and Logan sighed. "Crap, you are so far out of it you're not even in this galaxy."
"Nathan," Scott said quietly, and Nathan turned slowly to face him. "You're not going anywhere."
"What?" Nathan asked, as if Scott's words hadn't made any sense to him.
"I think you heard what I said. You're not going anywhere. Not in this condition, and especially not if Hana poses such a threat."
Understanding dawned on Nathan's face, mingled with something very close to horror. "You can't!" he breathed. "You don't understand, I have to--"
"You're not giving us any choice, Nate," Jean said gently. "If Hana--"
"You always have a choice!" he rasped, the horror blazing into open anger. He glanced at Domino, who was visibly struggling with which side of the argument she was going to come down on. Pete felt sorry for her. What if it was Kitty in this situation? What would I do? He honestly didn't know.
"Nate," Domino finally said, her voice soft and almost apologetic. "There's got to be some other way to do this. Hank's right, you're in no shape to be--" He cursed under his breath in the battle language, and she winced. "Nathan, I--"
He turned away from her. "Pete?" he asked, and his voice cracked slightly on the single word. Domino's expression wavered for a moment. She controlled it quickly, but Pete could still see the pain in her eyes. She knew what she'd just done, but she was sticking by her decision. Pete admitted to himself, reluctantly, that he very well may have made the same choice if he was in her position.
But he wasn't. "Bloody hell," he sighed as Nathan continued to give him that pleading look. He'd expected having to make this choice, from the minute the conversation had gone sour. The X-Men were going about this the wrong way, making him wonder if they really knew Cable at all. Telling Nate not to do something was not only utterly futile, but it was also the fastest way to get him to turn around and do it. Besides, I swore I'd never let him be trapped again--by anyone.
Kitty's going to kill me, he thought pointedly. The X-Men were all glaring at him, the warning plain, and he smiled humorlessly.
"I'm sure you'll make it up to her," Nathan said quietly, and before anyone could react, spoke a sequence of words in Askani.
The lights went out and then came back on in a rapid strobe effect. A dissonant, defeaning howl came out of the intercom speakers, and the ventilation system started to belch steam. Meant to disorient, it wasn't nearly so effective if you knew what was coming, as Pete had. He'd fixed the location of the door and the positions of everyone in the room as soon as he'd made the decision, and he headed for the door now, reaching out to support Nathan, who was right beside him.
Outside in the hall, the howling noise was louder, the strobe effect was brighter, and the steam was like a heavy London fog. It wouldn't distract the others for long, Pete knew, but by the time X-Men started pouring out the door of the medlab, the doors of the elevator were already closing behind him and Cable.
"Where to?" Pete shouted.
"Hangar deck," Nathan said wearily from where he was slumped against the wall. He spat a couple more words in the battle language, and within the elevator itself, the noise and lights returned to normal. Nathan looked absolutely ghastly, Pete noticed grimly as he punched the button for the hangar. "We--can't wait for the plane," he said, breathing heavily. "We'll 'borrow' a mini-jet, that's the best way. Then signal--who's the pilot, Gwen?--when we're in the air and do a mid-air docking. Cruz's planes are equipped for that--"
"This is bloody insane, Nate," Pete said. "No way are we getting out of here--your charming parents are probably rousing the troops even as we speak. I don't like those odds, old friend."
"Never say never, Pete," Nathan said with a ghost of a smile. Pete cursed. "I am going to London, Wisdom," he continued resolutely. "If I have to go through everyone in this mansion, I will."
Pete wished he dared ask Nathan to psi-flash Kitty and tell her to meet them at the plane. He didn't think she would take part in any futile attempt to force Nathan to stay. She trusts my judgement--I hope. But he wouldn't ask Nathan to use his powers, not even for something so small. Too much of a risk, even for Kitty. Bloody hell--that doesn't make me feel any better about this!
"I could try," Nathan offered softly, apparently hearing him.
"No!" Pete said sharply. "You pass out, Nate, I'm not bloody carrying you out of here--"
"If I pass out at this point, I'll probably wake up and find myself in restraints," Nathan said dryly, but gave Pete a troubled look. "I don't know if you're right about Kitty," he said slowly. "But I doubt that we'll get out of here without her finding us. None of my countermeasures were meant to hold off someone who can phase--"
"You a bloody precog now?" Pete snapped, distressed at the idea of having to make a choice between the two of them. He would never, never hurt Kitty, not even for Nathan, but he couldn't let the X-Men do this, either. He felt queasy, trying to think how he was going to reconcile those two imperatives.
"Shut up and listen to me," Nathan said, breathing heavily. "If she finds us, ask her." Pete gave her a blank look. "Ask her to come," Nathan concluded, giving him a faint, exhausted smile. "If she won't--let me find my own way out. I won't put you in that position."
Pete flinched, knowing what it might cost Nathan to avoid 'putting him in that position'. I won't let it happen, he told himself harshly. It's going to work out, I'll MAKE it work out--
"Exit, stage left," Pete scoffed to cover the awkward silence, his voice hoarse with emotion. It was the closest translation for the code Nathan had spoken aloud in the medlab. It was one of many such key phrases, each with a different result--Nathan had a back door into every system in the mansion, and more tricks up his sleeve than a bloody magician. Pete would imagine he'd used a few of them to get into the mansion during Zero Tolerance and swipe those computer files out from under Bastion's nose. Pete was fairly sure that the whole bag of tricks was going to have to come out if they were going to get out of here. "Here we go again," he muttered.
"Regrets?"
Pete put Kitty out of his mind. For the moment. "Wouldn't have it any other way," he said, resolutely.
to be continued...
[FOOTER]