Post by Pyro on Nov 27, 2006 12:48:30 GMT -5
Mystique closed her eyes as the phone started to ring, leaning her head back on the headboard.
Pyro... John. Which one am I calling?
She couldn't decide.
When the phone picked up and he answered, it took her a moment to speak.
"It's me."
Something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, you," he said, his tone initially warm and cheery, but even he could sense that all was not well with her, even in the two words she had given him. "You OK, baby?"
He had been sitting at his office desk, his feet up on it as usual, reading one of the books that Angie had loaned to him, but now he sat up properly, taking his feet off the desk and leaning forward.
"Everyone's alright," she began. She didn't want him worrying about their safety. "We're in Maine... I wanted us as far away from Philadelphia as we could get."
With a heavy sigh, Mystique rubbed her face. "I screwed up." The anger she felt towards herself was palpable in those few short syllables. "I rushed this job, and... Graydon's people caught me within... an hour, probably. I got out of there, but... they're aware files were taken and I'm sure he'll know it was me that was in the building."
Then she went quiet, not even her breath could be heard. John couldn't know why she was so upset over it, and she held her breath, shutting her eyes tighter to keep from losing control over her voice. There were very few things that could make her lose her cool. Graydon and John were two of them.
He was a little puzzled as to why she was beating herself up so harshly, but then in the time he'd known her, he'd not known her to make mistakes. "Baby, it's OK. Really. You're safe, that's the most important thing. Anything else, we can deal with. Together, remember?"
John had no idea what to say to make her understand that whatever had happened, it wasn't anything that they could overcome. "It'll be fine," he continued. "By the time Creed and his people figure out what went on, we'll strike. We'll turn it around quicker than we planned, if that'll help?"
Mystique took a slow, deep breath. "I'm not sure. I'm afraid he's going to move the children. We can't risk that and I don't want to move in with the kids there. I don't want us to have to fight those kids, you know... and we'd have to, they're just...brainwashed."
The deep love and purpose she felt for what they did was evident. "What I -can- do is make a pretty drastic move to get the X-Men to step up action on the Sombra case. I got a lot of their information and a long video feed. I'm betting we have enough to get Sombra shut down, particularly if they still have contact with the department of mutant affairs..."
She felt like crying. The whole thing made her sick, and her stomach rolled. "We can hang back and not do anything until the X-Men make their move. But once the kids are out... we'll just have to see."
"I just hope Graydon doesn't go into hiding."
John inwardly cursed the miles that separated him from his lover. He could hear the misery in her voice and it tugged at his heartstrings. Briefly, he felt a surge of anger, but he quelled it. "OK, I'm gonna have to be guided by your feelings on this one. I can't say as I'm in agreement totally with the idea of bringing the X-Men into the situation, but if they can get the kids clear…then we can go in and clear up."
He rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Is there anything at all you could do to make sure that Creed doesn't go into hiding? Some sort of reason to stay? Do you want us to head back across to be ready to strike at a moment's notice, or are we talking longer term here?"
A pause.
"Man, I'm sorry about the questions."
She laughed softly. "It's your right to ask, these are your men we're taking in." It was the first time she'd truly acknowledged him as leader, in practice, and it didn't even dawn on her. "So ask anything you need to. Now let's see."
She sat up and got her head together. "The X-Men don't have any idea about our plans with the building or with Graydon. And if I can get them to act fast enough, Graydon will be in the public eye. They'll have him court marshalled and he'll be ordered to stay in the state. If they get charges on him soon enough he might get arrested. I'm not worried about that. I can get past their security. Of course I'd rather not -have- to, but we'll do what needs to be done."
Her confidence was slowly returning. "No... I think we can do this. I think the flight is short enough that we won't have to worry about being stateside to handle it."
"You do what you have to do," he said, "and I'll get people on standby to leave at a moment's notice. Unless you're sure you don't want us out there now. Even if it's just me."
There was a pause and he flushed slightly without even noticing it. "I miss you," he said, and there was real feeling in those three words. "The new guys have settled in pretty damn well, but this place feels kind of empty without you."
He coughed, embarrassed suddenly.
"How are you gonna get in touch with the X'ies? You gonna contact them as yourself, or as…well, someone else?"
She lifted her head as he told her he missed her, and a smile slid over her lips. He asked his question, but she wasn't ready to answer yet.
"I miss you too. I don't like sleeping without you anymore." A bit of silence lingered, a place where somethign else might have gone, if they had been other people. But they weren't. And that was likely what both of them needed.
"Kurt Wagner. Nightcrawler. He will listen to me."
"I learned a long time back now to trust you, baby," he said, after a pause. "I can't say I'm totally thrilled about you marching into the lion's den, but I know full well you can take care of yourself – and probably most of those lily-livered assholes." He ran his hand through his hair.
"When you gonna go?"
"Oh I'm not going. I made enough enemies last time. I'm going to make a phone call and tell him where to pick up the information. I'll make a copy of the files, and leave one in a box at the airport for him."
"Speaking of which. Aurora and I will fly into Cape Town, in South Africa from New York. Python should be able to pick us up from there. I'll call when I buy the tickets, alright?"
She sighed. "I should go for now... you sound good. You sound happy. You must be glad to have Dom and Gracie with you."
He was massively relieved when she said she wasn't going to physically go near the Institute. "Yeah, it's fine having Dom and Gracie here. Roy's pretty cool too and Lucas is still, well, Lucas. Think I need to tread carefully there, y'know?"
Would it be too much to say it?
He hesitated for a moment, then figured what the hell.
"It's good having them here, but I'd rather have you."
It annoyed him that he blushed after saying so.
He could hear her sigh, it was almost girlish, definitely a woman. "John..." she sighed, and rubbed her hand over her collarbone, wishing it was his touch. "I'll be back with you soon." He could hear her smile through the phone, that particularly open one that only he got to see these days.
"I will call you tomorrow as soon as I have any information. Try to get enough sleep, okay? You're terrible with that."
"I'll try," he promised. "I'll even have breakfast in honour of this phone call, how's that for a deal?"
A few moments passed, that same silence as before, that same silence filled with those same silent words.
"Take care, OK?" he said.
"I promise I will. I have to." She chuckled.
"Goodnight."
"Night," he said, paused briefly as though he were going to add something else, and then cradled the phone.
Pyro... John. Which one am I calling?
She couldn't decide.
When the phone picked up and he answered, it took her a moment to speak.
"It's me."
Something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, you," he said, his tone initially warm and cheery, but even he could sense that all was not well with her, even in the two words she had given him. "You OK, baby?"
He had been sitting at his office desk, his feet up on it as usual, reading one of the books that Angie had loaned to him, but now he sat up properly, taking his feet off the desk and leaning forward.
"Everyone's alright," she began. She didn't want him worrying about their safety. "We're in Maine... I wanted us as far away from Philadelphia as we could get."
With a heavy sigh, Mystique rubbed her face. "I screwed up." The anger she felt towards herself was palpable in those few short syllables. "I rushed this job, and... Graydon's people caught me within... an hour, probably. I got out of there, but... they're aware files were taken and I'm sure he'll know it was me that was in the building."
Then she went quiet, not even her breath could be heard. John couldn't know why she was so upset over it, and she held her breath, shutting her eyes tighter to keep from losing control over her voice. There were very few things that could make her lose her cool. Graydon and John were two of them.
He was a little puzzled as to why she was beating herself up so harshly, but then in the time he'd known her, he'd not known her to make mistakes. "Baby, it's OK. Really. You're safe, that's the most important thing. Anything else, we can deal with. Together, remember?"
John had no idea what to say to make her understand that whatever had happened, it wasn't anything that they could overcome. "It'll be fine," he continued. "By the time Creed and his people figure out what went on, we'll strike. We'll turn it around quicker than we planned, if that'll help?"
Mystique took a slow, deep breath. "I'm not sure. I'm afraid he's going to move the children. We can't risk that and I don't want to move in with the kids there. I don't want us to have to fight those kids, you know... and we'd have to, they're just...brainwashed."
The deep love and purpose she felt for what they did was evident. "What I -can- do is make a pretty drastic move to get the X-Men to step up action on the Sombra case. I got a lot of their information and a long video feed. I'm betting we have enough to get Sombra shut down, particularly if they still have contact with the department of mutant affairs..."
She felt like crying. The whole thing made her sick, and her stomach rolled. "We can hang back and not do anything until the X-Men make their move. But once the kids are out... we'll just have to see."
"I just hope Graydon doesn't go into hiding."
John inwardly cursed the miles that separated him from his lover. He could hear the misery in her voice and it tugged at his heartstrings. Briefly, he felt a surge of anger, but he quelled it. "OK, I'm gonna have to be guided by your feelings on this one. I can't say as I'm in agreement totally with the idea of bringing the X-Men into the situation, but if they can get the kids clear…then we can go in and clear up."
He rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Is there anything at all you could do to make sure that Creed doesn't go into hiding? Some sort of reason to stay? Do you want us to head back across to be ready to strike at a moment's notice, or are we talking longer term here?"
A pause.
"Man, I'm sorry about the questions."
She laughed softly. "It's your right to ask, these are your men we're taking in." It was the first time she'd truly acknowledged him as leader, in practice, and it didn't even dawn on her. "So ask anything you need to. Now let's see."
She sat up and got her head together. "The X-Men don't have any idea about our plans with the building or with Graydon. And if I can get them to act fast enough, Graydon will be in the public eye. They'll have him court marshalled and he'll be ordered to stay in the state. If they get charges on him soon enough he might get arrested. I'm not worried about that. I can get past their security. Of course I'd rather not -have- to, but we'll do what needs to be done."
Her confidence was slowly returning. "No... I think we can do this. I think the flight is short enough that we won't have to worry about being stateside to handle it."
"You do what you have to do," he said, "and I'll get people on standby to leave at a moment's notice. Unless you're sure you don't want us out there now. Even if it's just me."
There was a pause and he flushed slightly without even noticing it. "I miss you," he said, and there was real feeling in those three words. "The new guys have settled in pretty damn well, but this place feels kind of empty without you."
He coughed, embarrassed suddenly.
"How are you gonna get in touch with the X'ies? You gonna contact them as yourself, or as…well, someone else?"
She lifted her head as he told her he missed her, and a smile slid over her lips. He asked his question, but she wasn't ready to answer yet.
"I miss you too. I don't like sleeping without you anymore." A bit of silence lingered, a place where somethign else might have gone, if they had been other people. But they weren't. And that was likely what both of them needed.
"Kurt Wagner. Nightcrawler. He will listen to me."
"I learned a long time back now to trust you, baby," he said, after a pause. "I can't say I'm totally thrilled about you marching into the lion's den, but I know full well you can take care of yourself – and probably most of those lily-livered assholes." He ran his hand through his hair.
"When you gonna go?"
"Oh I'm not going. I made enough enemies last time. I'm going to make a phone call and tell him where to pick up the information. I'll make a copy of the files, and leave one in a box at the airport for him."
"Speaking of which. Aurora and I will fly into Cape Town, in South Africa from New York. Python should be able to pick us up from there. I'll call when I buy the tickets, alright?"
She sighed. "I should go for now... you sound good. You sound happy. You must be glad to have Dom and Gracie with you."
He was massively relieved when she said she wasn't going to physically go near the Institute. "Yeah, it's fine having Dom and Gracie here. Roy's pretty cool too and Lucas is still, well, Lucas. Think I need to tread carefully there, y'know?"
Would it be too much to say it?
He hesitated for a moment, then figured what the hell.
"It's good having them here, but I'd rather have you."
It annoyed him that he blushed after saying so.
He could hear her sigh, it was almost girlish, definitely a woman. "John..." she sighed, and rubbed her hand over her collarbone, wishing it was his touch. "I'll be back with you soon." He could hear her smile through the phone, that particularly open one that only he got to see these days.
"I will call you tomorrow as soon as I have any information. Try to get enough sleep, okay? You're terrible with that."
"I'll try," he promised. "I'll even have breakfast in honour of this phone call, how's that for a deal?"
A few moments passed, that same silence as before, that same silence filled with those same silent words.
"Take care, OK?" he said.
"I promise I will. I have to." She chuckled.
"Goodnight."
"Night," he said, paused briefly as though he were going to add something else, and then cradled the phone.
