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Post by Admin on Aug 2, 2006 20:40:42 GMT -5
Still disappointed that she'd missed Logan yesterday morning, and even more disappointed that she'd missed the rest of the X-men yesterday afternoon, Lee went to her second day of work rather subdued. She'd had a chance last night to talk to Marie about Lar's revelations, but she hadn't been surprised. She had sent Lee with a message of sorrys, for not having trusted him in the first place, but Lee felt rather awkward giving it. Besides, Lar's didn't look like he really wanted to talk to anyone this morning, and she was content to leave it that way.
So she made the coffee as he taught her yesterday, and settled down at her desk for another fun day of fielding calls and filing papers. CNN was playing on a tv that had been attached to a wall so that Kent could see it above his cubicle wall to watch the stock reports, and it droned pleasantly in the background for a little over an hour before the tone of the entire show changed, and it switched from regular morning news to an emergency special.
The camera was focused on the station's top anchors, Jon Burgundy and Stella Baker, who sat ready behind their desk. On cue, Miss Baker began to explain why they had dared to broadcast over the morning stock report.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you breaking news from Baltimore, where the location of the long-awaited distribution of the mutant cure has been attacked. Here is Hugh Jackmand with the full story from the scene. Hugh?"
The screen flashed to a man standing outside in an eerily empty city street. "Yes, Stella, I am standing on Baltimore's Main Street, only blocks away from the NovaTex headquarters. As you know, NovaTex publicly declared that they had a stockpile of the cure days ago, and that they planned to begin distribution of this cure from their headquarters in Baltimore. Just before nine o'clock this morning, only one day before distribution was set to begin, the building was attacked by the mutant terrorist group who call themselves 'The Brotherhood'."
As the camera panned away from Hugh, there was thundering crack from maybe a block away. It took all of Hugh's training as a news anchor to ignore it, though every viewer across America heard it loud and clear.
"Details are still coming in at this time, but we do have reports that the X-Men, the well-known group of highly-trained mutants who fought to protect Worthington Labs from The Brotherhood last year, arrived on the scene very soon after a warehouse next to NovaTex was bombed. There were police on the scene beforehand, and eyewitnesses tell us that the government's Sentinels, which were unveiled only days ago, appeared on the scene soon after."
The screen moved back to Jon and Stella, safely behind their news desk. Jon folded his hands on the desk and spoke, his face serious. "Thus far, we don't know if there are any casualties on either side of this battle. As this information becomes available, we will keep you updated with up-to-the-minute reports from the scene."
Lee was frozen in her chair. She knew where the X-men had been headed, and what was supposed to go down, but that had been just... she shuddered at the memory of the crack that had come through loud and clear.
Without a further care for her job, she picked up the phone and hastily dialed the memorized number, willing - wishing even - that Marie would pick up right away.
"This is Marie," she said in her accustomed way, and Lee broke in before she was even finished. "Turn on the news Rogue, Baltimore is going down and it looks really bad."
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Post by airlock on Aug 3, 2006 12:49:12 GMT -5
Lars was standing in the doorway of his office. He'd come out to ask something of one of the architects and the mention of the X-Men had, as always, immediately caught his attention.
"Thus far, we don't know if there are any casualties on either side of this battle. As this information becomes available, we will keep you updated with up-to-the-minute reports from the scene."
The Gods Almighty. Lars felt sick to the stomach at the scenes of destruction laid out to bare in front of him and simply stood there, staring at it for a while, momentarily forgetting to concentrate on his breathing (an action which caused him to start gulping for air before he got the better of himself).
He swallowed anxiously, not unsympathetic to the fact that some of the people involved in that fight may have been people that Lee knew.
He turned his attention to her. She was on the phone to Marie - which didn't surprise him. He reached over and touched her shoulder.
"Lee?" His tone was carefully measured. "Lee, are you OK?"
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Post by Admin on Aug 3, 2006 13:29:42 GMT -5
Lee swallowed hard before putting down the phone and turning to Lars. Marie had promised to turn on the tv right away and had hung up on Lee in her hurry to do so. "Yeah, yeah I'm ok." She turned around to check the tv again, but it had returned to stocks, the little tickers streaming across the bottom of the page. There was no smoke, no Baltimore, no ungodly noises of explosions that were undoubtably the work of John. Oh that greasy little asshole better not hurt any of her friends or she would... she would sit here and mourn about it, having the power to do nothing herself.
A large sigh escaped her lips and she was just turning back around to Lars when the screen changed again to the newsroom. The anchors briefly explained the situation for those who hadn't seen the first broadcast before handing it over to Hugh Jackmand.
This time, Hugh was much, much closer. They were down the street from the battle itself-and it was utter chaos. The police cars may have comforted viewers at first, unless they realized on closer inspection not only that the cars were battered and wrecked, but that the few cops still moving looked badly injured and crazed. But the action of all of the people involved in the fighting was so chaotic that it was impossible to pick out specific people.
All of the streetlamps were out, along with all lights in every building. But in stark contrast, the battle was a roar of shouting and screaming, of explosions and guns being fired and things being thrown.
"It seems that the fire in the warehouse has been put out, though the damage there was undoubtedly extensive. The NovaTex building itself seems to be unharmed at this time. We have confirmed reports of casualties of several members of the police force here, as well as several members of the crowd that had formed outside of the building prior to the attack."
"It seems as though members of both The Brotherhood and the X-Men are pulling back-So far, we do not have confirmed reports of any casualties to either group, though this footage was taken just minutes ago close to the scene, in which we see one very badly injured member of the X-Men being taken from the scene by a fellow X-Man. Here is that footage now…"
The clip began to play, focusing on an area near the worst of the fighting. Two battered police cars were parked in the street, and there was a man leaning against the side of one of the cars. As the camera and the rest of the country's viewers watched, his arms pushed him off of the window, and as he clutched at the car to steady himself, he staggered along it's side. His face turned to the camera, and revealed that he was a young man whom many who had seen at least one news segment on the X-Men would recognize as Iceman.
He was hunched over, and his arms were reaching out in front of him, as if searching for something to steady himself with. His eyes were barely open, and his eyelids fluttered to stay open that small bit. His face was pale, and he was drenched in a cold sweat that matted his hair on the back of his neck and made his leather suit stick to his skin. His suit, which was torn through the chest and back in many places.
But the most noticeable thing about Bobby Drake was the way that he shook. His jaw trembled as though he was cold, though Iceman was never cold. He stepped away from the car, and his legs shook under his weight as he swayed where he stood. His arms shook terribly as he grasped for something to hold onto.
He sunk to his knees and then onto his side, shaking hands trying to pull him back onto his hands and knees. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling harshly. Water, which had matted his hair, dripped from his nose and chin as his head hung.
A figure swooped in from the side of the screen-A man with long, white feathery wings like an angel landed beside Iceman. The winged man (whom those who followed the news coverage of the X-Men knew to be Angel, the son of business mogul Warren Worthington) spoke to Iceman. Bobby Drake tilted his head up to look at Angel, and lifted an arm toward him. Angel grabbed Iceman, whose face was over Angel's shoulder, facing the camera. Iceman's eyes closed, and his head fell down onto Angel's shoulder. A moment later, the drenched white wings flapped, and Angel left the ground, leaving the camera's sight with Iceman in tow.
The screen returned to the news anchor, who now had an umbrella to shield him from the rain and hail. "We are unaware of that X-Man's status at this time. Once again, we will keep you updated with up-to-the-minute news coverage from the scene here in Baltimore. Back to you, Stella."
"Oh my god, Bobby," Lee spoke softly and threw a hand over her mouth, willing tears to stay out of her eyes in front of the office staff. She'd seen Pete too, Big Pete, all armored up and throwing cars - throwing cars! - at the Juggernaut. And Logan, but of course he would be ok, you never had to worry about Logan.
Without realizing it, Lee started to shake, her hands automatcially grasping the edge of the desk hard in an effort to not let it show. "Oh my god," she kept repeating softly, over and over again, with "Oh no Bobby" interspersed through it.
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Post by airlock on Aug 3, 2006 13:33:53 GMT -5
"Lee." Lars took her by the shoulders gently. "Lee, look at me. Come on, honey."
He had no idea if it would work, but he concentrated hard and, taking a deep breath, waited for her to swing her eyes up to look into his. When she did, when they made that connection, he felt out with his ability to increase oxygen levels around her to make her breath a little easier, and make her begin to calm down.
His eyes still locked on hers, he guided her to his office and closed the door.
"Sit down," he said, not unkindly.
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Post by Admin on Aug 3, 2006 19:21:57 GMT -5
"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh no Bobby. Oh my god." Lee's mantra continued on as Lar's grabbed her shoulders and it took all the self-control she had to tear her eyes away from the screen and land instead on Lar's eyes. She understood what he was trying to do, and relief washed over her as she felt her breathing become normal again.
Still, oxygen couldn't wash away the mental picture of Bobby passing out on the shoulders of an angel. What had happened to him? Was he ok? She was walking backwards, Lar's dirrecting her by the shoulders, and sat at his dirrection, hands tight on the arms of the chair. "Oh my god," she whispered again, although she was no longer feeling the same panic that she had been a few moments ago.
And what about the rest of them? Big Pete? Kitty? Storm? She hadn't seen Kitty or Storm, but the rain signaled the later, and she couldn't imagine Kitty backing out of the fight. She was a quiet kid, sure, but she'd survived Alcatraz, and that took some balls.
And it was when the door was finally closed between her and the tv screen that Lee began crying. Silent tears rolling down her face until her shoulders began to shake and then she bent over her knees, hiding her head in her arms and soaking her knees with saltwater.
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Post by airlock on Aug 4, 2006 11:38:22 GMT -5
"Oh, honey, hey, come here."
Lars generally wasn't the kind of man to shy away from a crying female. He was a kind-hearted soul and gathered her up easily in his arms and held her, rocking slightly, making the pointless sort of soothing noises that one made when you had a crying girl in your arms. All the while, he sustained a suitably high, but not ridiculously so, level of breathable oxygen in their immediate 'bubble' that he knew would ultimately make her start to feel better.
Since his ability was coming back, he figured, why not start making use of it again?
He wondered, absently, if his blood sample had reached Doctor McTaggert yet, then tuned himself back to the matter at hand. "Is there anybody there you can call? Find out if your friend's OK?" He rubbed her shoulder gently.
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Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2006 11:48:56 GMT -5
Lee sniffed hard, trying to clear her nose from crying, and shrugged as Lars asked if there was anyone she could call. She supposed they could call Storm, but they wouldn't have made it back yet. She wished she could remember someone's cell number, Kitty's maybe, so she could ask them what was happening and if everyone was ok, but she doubted anyone would be answering right now even if she could remember it. For not the first time, she thought she should have stolen one of those X-men communicators when she left, for emergencies.
"We could leave a message at the mansion," she said without much conviction. Would they really have time to call her back? "He'll be ok," she said, more to convince herself than anyone else, and wipped her nose with the ball of her hand. "They have a big, fancy lab... he'll be ok." Of course, all the big fancy doctors were either dead or at the United Nations now.
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Post by airlock on Aug 6, 2006 11:02:09 GMT -5
"'Course he'll be OK." Lars' voice was gentle, soothing, kind and thoughtful. Inside he was raging at the appalling display by the so-called Brotherhood. "Listen, Lee...let me run you home. I'll take you in your car, I can walk back to the office. The fresh air will do me good. It'll clear my head a bit. I can run by the supermarket on the way, get some milk and stuff for here."
He put his arm around her again and held her close for a moment. "I know it's got to be tough, not knowing, but I'm pretty sure that your friend's going to be just fine. The authorities will track those terrorists down and obliterate them."
Or I will, he thought, then immediately stamped the negativity back down again. He was NOT going to go vigilante.
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Post by Admin on Aug 6, 2006 11:23:00 GMT -5
"You don't have to walk back. I can drive." She probably could, she thought, so long as she could keep her mind off what she'd just seen. But he went on to explain that he needed to go to the store anyways, and a walk would be nice, and she really didn't feel like arguing with him. He was too nice to argue with. "Yeah, ok. A ride home would be good."
He must have agreed with her, because he grabbed her into a hug and she almost started crying again.
"The authorities will track those terrorists down and obliterate them."
In an effort not to cry, she snorted a cynical laugh. The authorities. God, the authorities couldn't even find a missing girl in South Carolina and they were supposed to find the Brotherhood's base of opperations? All it had taken was some broken glass and a little blood and they'd cried off looking for her within weeks. They would never find John and his cronies, and even if they did they'd probably be toast when they got there. Crispy on the outside, still chewy on the inside... and then the Juggernaut would eat them.
It was actually a really funny mental picture - Juggernaut eating a bunch of roasted policemen - and Lee laughed silently to herself. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to pass it off as crying as her shoulders shook and she covered her face with her hands until the fit passed.
"Ok," she said with a false sniffle as she composed herself. "Let's go. I bet Rogue's throwing a fit."
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Post by airlock on Aug 6, 2006 12:08:21 GMT -5
"Come on then," he said, with a grin. "Give me your car keys and I'll get you out of here."
He opened the office door and, fielding the curious stares from everyone in the office who had all pretended not to try to see what was going on when their project manager had taken the office junior into his office and shut the door. "I'm just taking Lee home," he announced. "She's got family in Baltimore and would rather make her calls from home than run up the office bill with personal calls, yes I am looking at you when I say that, Kent."
He checked his diary briefly with Annette, asking her to cancel his meetings for the next couple of hours and led Lee out to her car, holding the door open for her in a fabulously impeccably old fashioned way.
"Home," he said. "We're outta here."
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Post by Admin on Aug 6, 2006 12:29:10 GMT -5
Lee handed over her keys without a second thought, and kept her eyes down as they were leaving, not wanting to look at anyone. It was only her second day at work, and already she was leaving early because she had been a mutant. God. Even being a cured mutant sucked.
She grabbed her purse and they were out the door to her car. Lar's opened the door for her, which would have made her all Jello-kneed if not for the fact that her mind was on Marie, and how she might have taken the shock of seeing Bobby pass out on national television. While she might proclaim up, down and sideways that she hated him now, Lee knew that wasn't true, and could only imagine what must have gone through her head. At least five different scenarios went through her head before they finished the short drive home, and none of them were what she found when she got there.
(Continued in "The News-May 21st" at Rogue's Place)
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