Subject: [OTL]: (Wisdoms/New Mutants 2) Breeze Book 1 Chapter 2/? (PG-13) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 17:15:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Phil Hartman will1@earthling.net Breeze Book 1 Chapter 2 by Phil Hartman DISCLAIMER: Most of them are Marvel's, except for Aaron and the new kids, who are mine, and Buffy and company, who are Joss Whedon's. No money is being made off of this. Please don't sue. NOTE: Took me long enough to get back to this ... -------------------------------------------------------- 9/3/2002: U.S. Capitol Building: 13:00 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- Few things surprised President Robert Kelly after two years in office. Being the first United States Senator to formally approach the long-misunderstood mutant superheroes known as the X-Men had all but inoculated him to shocking events. #But this ... this is right up there with learning Charles Xavier was the world's most powerful mutant telepath,# Kelly thought, shaking his head at the entourage approaching the entrance to a meeting room for Representatives. The sheer number of black-suited security personnel wasn't that surprising - Kelly had quite a few of those in the Secret Service. It was the middle-aged Caucasian man in their midst who was prompting the President's surprise. The man - brown-haired, grey-eyed, beefy build - gave Kelly a warm and utterly false smile - #Beltway grin,# Kelly recognized from the Washington parlance - and extended his hand to the President. "Mr. President. I'm pleasantly surprised to see you," Graydon Creed said, smiling again. "I'm just as surprised, Mr. Creed. The last time I saw you, you were turning to ash in Philadelphia amidst a plasma blast," Kelly responded neutrally. "At the risk of a cliche, 'the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,'" Creed said, his smile going icy for a moment. "I've spent the better part of the last six years underground, avoiding mutant assassins. After what's been going on in Genosha alone, I can't bee too careful." "Some would say your political platform is outdated," Kelly replied, releasing Creed's hand. "And some would say it's critically necessary, especially in an off-Presidential election year," Creed replied, giving Kelly a predatory smile. "If you'll excuse me - I have Representatives to address." Kelly stepped aside, letting Creed enter the meeting room and accepting a packet of bills up for House vote from one of his aides. He rifled through them, scowling at one in particular. #The Human Equality Act ... ?# Kelly pondered, one of his eyebrows raising. "Jones. The number of Friends of Humanity Congressmen left after the 2000 election," the President asked of the mousy man of an aide who'd given him the bill packet. "Four, sir - both of the Wyoming Senators and two rural Wyoming Representatives. Operation: Zero Tolerance's collapse in 1997, and your own efforts to neutralize the FOH in the backlash of O:ZT, led to a sweeping defeat of the party in the 1998 and 2000 elections," Jones said as the Presidential entourage headed back to a waiting limousine. "I want the details and projected effects of this 'Human Equality Act' before it gets to the Senate. Correlate it against the Parahuman Equal Rights Act. Then get me an assessment of anti-mutant sentiment in Congress - an up-to-date assessment. Get me that information in 24 hours," Kelly ordered. "And for God's sake, somebody find out how the hell Graydon Creed is still alive !" -------------------------------------------------------- INTERLUDE 1: Johnson County Morgue, Whitneyville, Wyoming: 9/6/02: 10:00 hrs MDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "Jesus ..." Johnson County Sheriff Harold McAllen scowled as the coroner flicked the sheet back from the body. "A single wound, straight through the aorta. The scorch marks are where the bioelectric discharge fed back into the body," Allen Harveth said, shaking his head. "He was barely 14." "You're sure it was a bullet ?" McAllen said, trying not to look too closely at what had been a teenage Caucasian boy. ".45 gauge. Whoever decided to end Michael Daniels' life wasn't messing around. The slug is in the evidence locker down the hall," Harveth said icily. He replaced the sheet, tsking at the sight of one brown bang peeking over the top of the sheet before replacing the body in its morgue container. "Anti-mutant murder. We haven't seen anything like this since '97," McAllen grunted. He and Harveth left the morgue and entered the coroner's office, concern on both their faces. "The CSA called yesterday. No less than Val Cooper herself is en route, with a full investigative team," Harveth said. "Ham, this is going to go badly if things don't pan out. If you have any idea who'd gun down an innocent mutant street kid, for God's sake, cough them up." "I don't protect mutant-haters, Harveth, you know that," McAllen growled. "Not after what they did at that damned clinic ... turning good people into Prime Sentinels ... and shooting up mutants who never did a thing wrong. Cooper and her people want my help, they've got it." He stood, grabbed his hat, and added over his shoulder, "IF the FOH are back, I'll be the first to kick their asses out of here. We don't need a genetic war out here again." -------------------------------------------------------- 9/10/02: Muir Island Genetic Research Facility, Muir Island, Scotland: 08:00 hrs local: -------------------------------------------------------- She yawned, walking slowly down the ramp beside her parents, her siblings bringing up the rear as Xavier led the way. "Charles ! Och, t'is good t'see ye," Moira Cassidy called. The beaming Scots geneticist hugged the wheelchair-bound master telepath, then beamed as the Summerses approached. "Rachel - look at ye. I swear, ye've grown a foot since I saw ye last. An' Buffy ! I want a genescan o'ye too, lass - this 'Slayer' business has me curious," Moira demanded. "Good to see you too, Aunt Moira," Buffy said, smiling sleepily. Scott and Jean were nearly bowled over when Moira bounded towards them, and Nate and Buffy traded a grin. ~The coffee ?~ Buffy thought over the psi-link Nate created. ~The coffee,~ Nate agreed, yawning and scratching his 11-year-young chin. "Hey, Aunt Moira -" "Nae, Nathan. Yui're too young, an' I doubt y'r parents'd let ye drink any," Moira insisted. She ruffled the boy's hair, then looked him over and laughed as she added, "Ye've got some growin' done, but more t'do. Most coffee doesnae stunt growth, but mine's nae f'r young lads." #Not like me,# Rachel pondered. She was wearing her Phoenix costume underneath a trenchcoat, and shook her head at the events of the last week. #I've sprouted 4 inches and almost 25 pounds, I've got the body of an 18-year-old, and I'm ... unnaturally ? ... gorgeous,# the psi thought. She removed the trenchcoat, and let Moira look her over. "Jus' like w' the first Phoenix. Th' Phoenix Entity's magnifyin' yuir natural beauty," Moira breathed, nodding appreciatively. "Come on in, lass. Ye've grown t'adult size physically, but the stress on yuir mind - t'is a testament t'yuirself an' yuir kin." "It's also been someone else's support, actually," Rachel replied, glancing over her shoulder with a faint smile at the last person aboard the Blackbird. Moira's gaze followed her patient's, and the Scots doctor's eyes widened a bit as the passenger disembarked. Frank Richards gulped visibly, then walked to stand beside Rachel. He was clad in the black and blue Fantastic Four uniform his mother had given him a week earlier, and he nodded respectfully at Moira. "Doctor," the boy said. "Franklin. Relax, lad, I've no quarrel w' you or yours," Moira reassured him. "Ye saved Kitty's life all those years ago, ye an' yuir father both. Be welcome here, 'specially if yui're as close t' Rachel as I've heard. Now let's get inside an' out o' this North Sea wind ! We've work t'do an' news t'catch up on !" -------------------------------------------------------- Back at the X-Mansion: 03:00 hrs EDT: -------------------------------------------------------- "Rock-a-bye-baby ... YAWN ..." Pete rocked Aaron, who cooed and clung to his father in the nightlight of the nursery. The baby had taken his bottle well, but was refusing to doze off. "Lessee ... maybe if I read this bloody PDA's contents t'ye, you'll doze off, ye little sprat," Pete grumbled good-naturedly. He activated the personal digital assistant the teenaged Aaron of an alternate future had left behind a week earlier, then scrolled through the historical data and cocked an eyebrow. #Sinister ... Black Womb ... Apocalypse ... Sentinels ... the bloody Lehnsherr War ... helluva schooling this Aaron's New Mutants faced,# Pete thought, shaking his head at the time period between 2002 and 2006 of the alternate future. #Waitaminnit - Black Womb ?# "That was that top-secret U.S. gene-works project mentioned in the Deep Black histories at Black Air," Pete reminisced, meeting Aaron's curious gaze. "Silly Yanks spent the better part o' the '20s, '30s an' '40s tamperin' with mutant gene research in Alamagordo, New Mexico. I never thought it went anywhere ... lessee ..." He scrolled through the sub-file on Black Womb. And cursed. "Bloody ... 'ell ..." Pete whispered, his eyes widening. "If this's true ..." He carefully stood, cradling Aaron and heading into his and Kitty's bedroom. "Time t'get your mum, little man," Pete sighed. "All 'ell's 'bout t' break." -------------------------------------------------------- Muir Island: 08:20 hrs: -------------------------------------------------------- It was like being adrift in a warm bath and having static electricity flowing through her at the same time. #And there's a very focused personality behind it all,# Rachel thought, floating amidst the Phoenix Effect while Moira scanned her. The Scots doctor, with the Summerses, Frank, Xavier and Sean Cassidy had entered the lab, and were at work measuring Rachel's power levels. ~Child of light and darkness,~ the Phoenix "said," more empathically than anything else. ~Why dost thou restrain thyself ? Why dost thou restrain me ?~ ~Because passion without shaping is passion without purpose,~ Rachel sent, trying to keep control - GOD, she just wanted to lose herself - ~Ray ! Hang on - Dr. Cassidy, PLEASE," Frank sent/said, looking at Moira with concern. "The Phoenix Force is trying to get Ray to abandon control -" "Rachel, power down !" Moira called. Rachel complied, relief and a small amount of sorrow filling her when the firebird aura around her faded. "She's 'bout halfway b'tween her former Omega-class levels an' the top o' the curve projected f'r the first Phoenix," Moira said, watching as Frank helped Rachel to a seat. "But ... ?" Jean asked, walking over and squeezing Rachel's shoulder. "I'm concerned tha' - despite her strong will - bein' 14 an' facin' the Phoenix c'ld be too much f'r her. Even w' her support system, Rachel's ultimately got t' face the entity alone," Moira said. "Or, have the Professor install psionic circuit-breakers in my subconscious," Rachel breathed. "No. Bad idea. VERY bad idea," Frank interrupted. Everyone looked at him, and he continued despite his blush. "Believe me, if the circuit-breakers blew during a moment of stress, the psionic backlash would shred any remaining willpower Ray had to try and keep the Phoenix restrained. I'm speaking from experience with psi-dampers and power surges." "Franklin does have a legitimate point," Xavier said. "Perhaps -" The comlink's buzz interrupted Xavier, and Moira answered it with a noise of surprise. "Wisdom ?! Wha' time is it in Salem Center ?" the doctor blurted. "Time f'r Xavier t'be worried," Pete rasped. The burble of a baby filled the comlink, and Aaron's smiling face filled the hologram for a moment before Kitty took Aaron from her husband. "Pete was skimming the future-Aaron's PDA entries, and he found reference to something called 'Black Womb.' Apparently, it was a series of genetics experiments going on in Alamagordo, New Mexico at the direction of the U.S. government from 1928 to some time in the 1960s," Kitty said in a worried voice. "1928 ..." Xavier breathed. "The year I was born." "In the future the teen-Aaron came from, the second team of New Mutants found out what really happened during Black Womb," Kitty continued, holding Aaron to her shoulder. "Professor -" A second buzz filled the air, and Moira held up a hand. "A minute, Kitty - th' island's AI's found somethin' of critical importance on its transmission-monitorin' sweep," she said. "Let's see - CBNC ..." A second hologram manifested, displaying a worried-looking Trish Tilby standing against a still-darkened Washington, D.C. skyline. "- repeat, the Friends of Humanity have confirmed that Graydon Creed is alive and did address a closed meeting of the House Subcommittee on Mutant Affairs on Sept. 3," Trish said. "The particulars of Creed's survival of his apparent murder by persons unknown on Sept. 30, 1996 in Philadelphia remains unexplained -" Moira shut off the CBNC hologram, her expression going as bleak as those of the others present. "Bloody Graydon Creed is ALIVE !?" Pete blurted over the hololink. -------------------------------------------------------- Moira deactivated the CBNC holocam feed, then looked at Xavier and the others. "Well. T'was ... unexpected," she said in a hushed tone. "I should think not," Xavier agreed, arching an eyebrow. "Graydon Creed was declared legally dead after being incinerated by a plasma blast in 1996 during his ill-fated presidential campaign." "It wouldn't be the first time that one of our old enemies popped up from the grave," Scott said, frowning. "Things get worse, Summers," Pete interjected. "I was readin' the future Aaron's PDA notes, an' I found somethin' 'bout 'Black Womb.' Seems it was -" Everyone looked at Xavier when he made a very foreign noise. "'Black Womb' ?" Xavier whispered, going ashen. "Peter, are you SURE ? That was the name given to something which happened at Alamagordo all those years ago. I heard it uttered by some hideously deformed woman in the shadows when Carter Ryking and I went looking in a classified area of the Alamagordo base." "That's 'bout my reaction. I knew 'bout the bloody program from Black Womb, but only hearsay from the cryptographers," Pete said. "These future-history notes snapped a lot o' the pieces int' place, though, assumin' our timeline's history is at all close t' the teen Aaron's." Frank and Rachel glanced at each other in concern. ~You OK ? I hoped we'd gotten away from that whole mess,~ Frank sent, taking Rachel's left hand in his right one. ~I'll deal with it. You're here, and the Phoenix is actually a welcome distraction,~ Rachel replied, managing a smile. The Phoenix itself flickered in Rachel's mind, clattering the bars of the cage she'd made for it with her willpower - #You. Are. Not. Getting. Out,# she thought, gritting her teeth behind closed lips. "Pete, what did the teen Aaron write about Black Womb ?" Jean asked, giving Rachel a comforting look. "Well, what I heard was that it was a primitive effort t'map the human genome, done by proto-black-ops scientists on the U.S. government's payroll," Pete began, yawning. "'Ccordin' to Aaron's notes, though, whoever approached the Yank feds 'bout startin' the bloody thing already knew the genome back an' forth. The actual purpose o'Black Womb was supposed t' clarify the x-factor gene an' the genes it triggers f'r mutant powers." The others flinched. "That kind of information - to even know that the x-factor existed during the time period we're talking about - this is very dangerous," Scott said. "Y'ain't kiddin'," Pete continued. "'Specially considerin' one of the side projects o'Black Womb was tracin' your family's mutant inheritance. An' Jean's, an' Drake's, an' McCoy's, Worthington's, the Braddocks, Storm's, an' Magneto's, among others. At least, accordin' t' the future Aaron." Scott looked like he was going to faint. Xavier's eyebrow started to twitch. Jean sat down, going pale. "The federal government KNEW about our mutant potential before we were ever born ... ?" Jean whispered. Scott's lip curled as he replied, "Oh, I don't think the federal government was permitted any of that knowledge, Jean. Their not-so-mysterious benefactor probably took the information and ran when the project shut down, right, Pete ?" "Precisely," Pete said, nodding grimly. "Aaron's notes indicate that the 'mysterious backer' behind Black Womb was none other than Sinister. He gave the feds the prototype notes for what became th' Super-Soldier serum, an' got a chance t'track mutant development in the U.S., right up until the mid-1960s. Then, somehow, th' whole thing was shut down. That correlates, at least on the surface, with what I learned at Black Air." Sean shook his head and muttered, "But even if we know what Black Womb was, how c'n we confirm it in the here an' now ?" "More importantly, do any of the members of the House Subcommittee on Mutant Affairs have that information, and can Graydon Creed get his hands on it ?" Frank interjected. The others looked at him, as Xavier replied, "It's not that useful anymore, Franklin. Ever since we went public with our mutancy and identities during the PERA hearings in 1998 -" "I don't mean your mutant identities, Professor. I mean the genetic records," Frank interrupted politely. "THAT information is what worries me." Xavier blanched again, and Moira nodded grimly. "T'would be lethal if Creed or his like got ahold o'that data," Moira said. "Even the projections o' what the X-Men's gene structures are like would be 'nough t'be used as the basis f'r gene-specific weapons." "There is one person who MIGHT be able to get the particulars of Black Womb out of Black Air, assuming they're in the databanks," Frank continued. "But it'd be risky, and -" "No. Absolutely not. You bloody hack Black Air, an' they WILL find you. An' whoever hacked 'em will pay in spades," Pete blurted, scowling. "I'd feel better hackin' Sinister's own systems than mess with Black Air. A year ago, I wouldn't care f'r me. Now, I won't let anyone put my wife and son in danger, Richards." "I understand, Mr. Wisdom. But it may be our only option short of going after Sinister's data banks," Frank said, shrugging. "Any paper records on Black Womb from the federal government are probably shredded, blacked out or classified above top secret." The infant Aaron's tired wail pierced the conversation, and Kitty's face reappeared in the holofeed from Salem Center. "Folks, we've got to get Aaron down for the night," she said. "We can talk this out later. Right now, let's deal with Creed's reappearance and leave the what ifs to the future." "Agreed. Sleep well, Kitty," Xavier said. Moira deactivated the hololink, while Xavier looked at Scott and the others. "Black Womb. Creed. The Abaddon future. Things seem to be mounting up." "Let's not forget the birdie in my subconscious," Rachel pointed out. "I've got it under control - for the moment - but I don't want to push my luck." Frank took her hand again and said, "I could work with you, like you did for me. I've got experience in these types of power levels." "Barely more than Rachel does !" Scott interjected. "I'm not opposed to this, but it's like the one-eyed man leading the blind, so to speak." "Well, they say girls fall for guys like dear old Dad," Rachel tried to joke. Scott frowned, Frank winced, and Jean covered her face. "All right, all right - this is decaying into an angst-fest," Buffy snapped. "Let's review: Ray ISN'T flying around shrieking about cosmic rains of black fire and devouring large power sources. Creed hasn't done anything worse than talking to some Congressmen, assuming Creed IS Creed. In other words: We're OK. Let's take one thing at a time, shall we?" The other Summerses and Frank looked at Buffy, and Nate managed a weak laugh. "Sinister's not here either, right ?" the boy gulped. "Buffy does have a point," Jean said, hugging her daughter. "Moira, you'll review the scan information ?" "The second I have th' refined results, I'l e-mail ye," Moira promised. She and Sean waved as the Summerses, Frank and Xavier headed for the Blackbird. "They'll do a'right, accushla," Sean whispered in Moira's ear. "Aye. I'm just tired o' the price we a'ways seem t'pay for doin' the right thing," Moira replied. -------------------------------------------------------- NEXT: Black Womb's fate, Nate versus a Sentinel, Graydon Creed's "resurrrection" explained, a new team member, bad news from Wyoming, and Aaron gets cute - - oh yeah, and Sinister drops by ... ! --------------------------------------------------------