More Than the X Can See

Chapter 14

Hank walked into Charles’ office with a mug of coffee in one hand and medical files clutched in the other, his hairy larger than normal hands capable of easily holding theck sck stack. Charles sat at his desk looking across the room at a large flat screen on the wall that normally appeared to be a framed seasonal painting, a finger on his lips partially hid the pensive look on his face. Hank glanced at the picture and stopped short, on the screen was a replay of the security tapes from that afternoon, specifically the cameras pointed towards The Green and pool areas. He moved closer without obstructing Charles’ view, examining the visual, as the ice sculpture of the Sentinel was destroyed. The camera view changed angle, giving a wider sideways shot, as Angel’s kinetic shield suddenly appeared.

Charles typed something into his computer and the display rewound and then resumed forward motion at an incremental level. Just as the shield began to form, Charles hit a key on the keyboard and the picture on the screen froze.

Hank stared at the picture, observing in his deep voice, “It appears to develop instantaneously.”

“It doesn’t,” Charles contradicted, “but the security tapes don’t run at the speed necessary to determine the exact process of creation. I’ve tried views from several angles, but none of them are of any use.” He entered a command into the computer and the flat screen changed to the painting of a summer pastoral. “For an impromptu demonstration of her abilities, it was sufficient, giving me a basis for her entry level tests in the Simulation Room.”

“I didn’t think you would be planning her first foray already,” Hank replied as he approached Charles’ desk and sat down in one of the chairs before it, placing the hand holding the mug on the armrest. He crossed a leg resting the ankle on his knee as he placed the files in his lap.

“It was a distraction from going over the latest requests and reports from the X-Corporation,” Charles replied with a sigh. He dug a coaster from inside a desk drawer and placed it on the top edge of his desk.

Hank placed his mug on the coaster, “I’m surprised you’re not monitoring the situation in White Plains.”

Charles shook his head, “Creating the environment utilizing Angel’s mind was taxing, more so than I realized.”

“Thank you for including me in the experience,” Hank said gratefully. “It gives insight to her acuity.”

“You’re welcome,” Charles smiled. “When I first entered her mind, it was quite overwhelming. We actually ended up discussing physics, architecture and anatomy so I could understand and conceptualize what she senses both in her immediate surroundings and at a distance. I know the environment I created wasn’t perfect, I had problems with sounds, smells and the visualization of distances, but it was quite a stretch of my abilities and I’m eager to try to again.”

“I’d be happy to be your test subject,” Hank suggested, “I found the whole experience to be intriguing. The detail was quite intense. I could have spent hours exploring the scope of her spatial ability.”

“I’m glad you’re of the same mind,” Charles leaned forward in his chair and picked up a cup that had been hidden from Hank’s view by a set of upright books in the center of the desk. After taking a swallow he continued, “When she returns from San Francisco, we’ll have to test her spatial awareness, get exact measurements and degrees of sensitivity. My foray makes me doubt that the Simulation Room will be able to provide the necessary challenges.”

Hank agreed, “The Simulation Room may be able to create trials of finesse, but it would not be able to handle the full scope of her ability.”

“It may take us some time to fully study her abilities. Her spatial will take the longest,” Charles put the cup back down. Pointing at the files in Hank’s lap he asked, “I assume you have the results from your latest tests?”

“Yes,” he replied, flipping open the top file, “And they’re creating more questions, than answers right now.”

“Really?”rlesrles was intrigued. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on the desk, hands encircling his cup.

“Logan and Warren no longer show signs of foreign chemicals in their systems, but Angel’s samples remain polluted,” Hank explained, “and the amount of regenerative cells in her system has increased exponentially since my initial tests. I originally believed they might have been fighting off secondary infections resulting from the possible contamination to her system from various elements in the sewers and explosion, but her latest test results show the chemicals remain unchanged and in the same quantity as before. Now, I can’t determine the reason why these cells are increasing.”

Concerned, Charles asked, “What are the latest studies regarding transferring regenerative ability from one being to another?”

“There is nothing significant in the published medical or scientific journals,” Hank replied. “But there have been several interesting posts on the Internet, none of them verified,” he sighed. “So far there haven’t been any confirmed studies although considering such programs as Weapon X, Department H and their ilk, I’m quite sure there are several government files to which only a select few have access. I was wondering if you would be able to contact S. H. I. E. L. D., pull a few strings and see if they have any information that might be useful.”

“I’ll make a few phone calls,” Charles took a sip from his cup and then put it down. “I was considering bringing S. H. I. E. L. D. in on the San Francisco mission for a cover. Possibly give them the credit if Cable’s operation is successful and have them there to help with damage control if not. I’d rather keep Cable’s team out of view and considering popular opinion is beginning to turn on armed forces now that the United States is beginning their occupation of Iraq, I’m sure Bridge would accept the positive media attention. He would also draw the ire of this terrorist organization away from the X-Corporation and the Institute.”

“He’ll want to know who you have in San Francisco,” Hank warned. “To coordinate with them. Make sure their actions and stories correlate.”

Charles looked chagrined, “I know S. H. I. E. L. D. has been keeping tabs on all our agents, especially Cable and Wolverine. Nathan has been ‘Witch Hunting’ terrorists across the globe and Logan has been bumping into the law quite frequently on his most recent personal crusades. They’ll know they’re in San Francisco soon enough. Han Hank smiled, “But they won’t have a clue about Angel.”

“They’ll be able to identify her off the picture from her driver’s license, but they won’t know why she’s with them.”

“She worked at Livermore Labs, but she has no military background and she isn’t even registered as an X-Corporation agent. How are you going to explain her presence?” Hank asked.

“When I was showing her records to Nathan, I upgraded her status to Agent for the X-Corporation backdated to her first day. Her scanning ability alone grants her that merit and Nathan would have no difficulty in taking someone who also has regeneration and an offensive and defensive capability with him.”

“Did you give her a codename?”

“I considered several names but eliminated all but Scan or Scanner, Aura, Halo and Focus.”

“Which one did you choose?”

“I was going to name her Scan, but Nathan advised that in a combat situation you don’t reveal your reconnaissance unit. He thought Aura sounded more mystical than physical and that Focus was more of an order than a name. I told him the most important factor in choosing a codename is that the recipient accepts it.”

“Halo?”

“Halo.”

*Charles?* Emma Frost’s voice sounded in Charles’ mind. He received a mental image of the blonde woman who had decided to give up her career as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club and moved into the Institute as a teacher and covert X-Corporation agent staring at four werewolves that had been bound and strapped to the interior of the Blackbird.

Charles held up a hand to Hank and verbally and mentally said, *“Yes, Emma?”*

Emma, sounding bored, said, *We’re on our way back and, as you can see, we have the remaining four werewolves in custody.*

*Remaining four?*

*Their leader and one other are dead. We believe we have the last of them.*

*“Thank you, Hank and I will be waiting for you in the hangar,”* Charles informed her, continuing to speak mentally and verbally for Hank’s benefit. *“It’s good to hear you were able to apprehend the remaining werewolves.”*

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A werewolf lay strapped down with metal restraints on an austere medical table in a small metal prison cell. Hank stood next to the table with a rolling metal tray by his side. He withdrew a needle from the creature’s arm, vials of its blood clutched in his oversized hand.

“How large of a dose do you want me to start with?”callcalled over his shoulder to Charles and Scott who stood against the wall across from the barred doorway watching Hank and the werewolf warily.

“Give him enough for his body weight,” Charles ordered. “If he’s able to resist the serum, we’ll increase the dosage.”

Hank nodded, lifted a syringe from the tray and, after checking that there was no air in the syringe, he injected the werewolf in the arm. Placing all his medical paraphernalia on the tray, Hank rolled the tray to the doorway. Scott held the door open for him as he exited and then closed it and tripped the mechanical and electronic locks.

“Give him a few moments,” Hank advised, “and you can begin your probing.”

“Is this the upgraded version?” Scott asked him.

“Yes,” Hank replied, “It’s a cross of Thiopental Sodium, Sodium Amytal and Scopolamine. The Thiopental is what is commonly referred to as “truth serum”, but it only makes the victim more talkative, more responsive. The Amytal and Scopolamine will allow Charles to manipulate his thoughts and actions.” Hank looked at Charles, “I’d like to take the blood samples back to my lab immediately unless you’d like me to stay here.”

“Is there any possibility he may have a negative reaction?” Charles asked.

Hank shook his head, “None and he will not remember any of this unless another telepath interrogates him. The dosage I gave him should last approximately six hours.”

“Thank you,” Charles replied. “We’ll call you if necessary.” Hank nodded and, after picking up the vials of blood from the tray he left at Charles’ elbow, headed down the hall.

Scott waited, folding his arms in front of his chest and leaning back against the wall.

Charles closed his eyes and focused on the werewolf in the brig. Images began to flit past as he invaded the creatures mind. The werewolf’s name was Thomas Kent. Recent events were the first important visions Charles perceived; the fight that led to Thomas’ capture, traveling in the sewers helpin car carry a crate of explosives to the new location, watching another werewolf attach the timer to the bomb beneath Lobo Tech, other Pack members in human form working inside the Lobo Tech building removing the Stark label and attaching a Lobo Tech label.

Charles dug deeper, looking for more information. Thomas in human form with several others of his Pack arriving at JFK airport and being warmly welcomed by a Pack Beta Commander, eight of his pack mates in werewolf form trying to defeat a blonde giant of a man—Charles recognized him as Victor “Sabretooth” Creed, Thomas waking up in werewolf form for the first time.

Charles dug further still, trying to identify where this man, this mutated werewolf, had originated. Several scenes of white-topped mountains, forests, remote wooden cabins and men in military garb told him The Pack was an underground organization that was mobile in the many states to the west and possibly up into Canada. His X-men had only destroyed a cell.

Charles investigated how Thomas had become a werewolf and a Pack member. He’d done a tour of duty as a member of one of the Reconnaissance Battalions of the US Marines during Desert Storm. Sick with the politics of international war, he didn’t sign up for continuing duty when his contract was over. He’d been traveling through Montana when his Jeep broke down in a small town. He’d ended up in a bar fight that put him in the local jail. A member of The Pack who had been knocked unconscious in the fight and been netted by the police began to talk to him, getting his story and eventually inviting him back to their camp. His newfound buddies had him talk to their leader who was charismatic enough to persuade him to join them full time.

After five years in which he had vetted his military skills and loyalty, the Pack had initiated him as a full member. The process involved six months of physical and mental training, which had culminated in a group of Initiates being woken up in the middle of the night, taken miles into the wilderness and left to kill the local pack of wolves. They had to haul the dead animals back to camp as proof of their deeds. The next night, after the canines had been butchered and drained of blood, they participated in a ceremony where they ate wolf meat and drank a wolf blood concoction that knocked them unconscious. Thomas had awoken in werewolf form a few nights later during the full moon.

Charles went back and dug at the memories of Creed. Creed had arrived by helicopter at their spring camp in Colorado. The Pack Leader, known only as Alpha, had been waiting for him and once he disembarked, they had greeted each other like brothers before disappearing into Alpha’s cabin. All the werewolf soldiers had been ordered to assemble in the main clearing near the camp and change into werewolf form that evening. Creed and Alpha had watched as they went through the paces of a nighttime combat training session. Afterwards, in military formation, Thomas had watched as Creed and Alpha talked in earnest, almost arguing with each other. Finally, Alpha had conceded and chosen eight of their toughest werewolves to fight Creed. The ‘wolf soldiers had formed a large circle around the nine combatants and watched as Creed began to viciously vanquish their pack mates. Two of the champions, one paralyzed from the waist down and another whose arms were nearly ripped off, would have needed hospitalization if Creed hadn’t disemboweled them first, licking the blood off his hands with relish. Afterwards, while his wounds visibly healed in front of their eyes, Creed deride their fighting style telling them that they still fought like men instead of the werewolves they had become and walked away in disgust. Alpha had angrily ordered them to dispose of the remains before following Creed. The werewolves had eyed each other warily before descending upon the fresh meat.

The next night, Creed began instructing them in fighting techniques that took advantage of their lycanthropic form. After a week of instruction, Creed began to pick ondivndividuals for one on one sparing practice. Thomas was one of those chosen and, after Creed soundly trounced him, began to go over how he had been so easily and effortlessly defeated, teaching him how to counter his weaknesses and work on his strengths. After three months of intensive training, Creed left the camp. Alpha continued their training for another three months before sending groups of four to eight out to complete assignments that before had been assigned to packs of eight or sixteen.

After his fifth mission, one that had required all his skill in surveillance before taking down the target, Thomas returned to camp to find that Creed had returned to choose soldiers for a long-term assignment in New York. Alpha had already begun the process of infiltrating a computer firm with one of his Beta commanders and a handful of tech trained werewolves from another camp. With his history of successful missions and background with the Marines, Creed and Alpha picked Thomas to go to New York and work at Lobo Tech.

For nearly a year at Lobo Tech, Thomas was assigned a supervisory roll over the covert surveillance of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Through wireless contact, he and a dozen others took turns physically following various residents of the Institute when they had left the grounds. Sometimes the objective had been to place a small tracking device on the vehicle, but more often than not, it had been to determine a behavioral pattern of select individuals including, Warren Worthington, III, Logan, Scott Summers, Robert Drake, Kurt Wagner, Jubilation Lee, Lucas Bishop, Sam Guthrie, and the X-Corporation agents known as Sage and Forge. Psychics such as Professor Xavier, Jean Grey-Summers, Jono Starsmore and Emma Frost had been avoided for detection reasons. At the Lobo Tech building itself, he had occasionally manned the security cameras stationed at fixed points up and down the roads leading to the Institute and a few high powered telescopic cameras that were positioned to record aerial activity above and surrounding the Institute.

Two months ago, word had come down that their new mission was to increase the tensions between the human and mutant populations in the Rockland, Putnam, Orange and Westchester counties. Immediately, they began a campaign of mutilation and death on the homeless population being indiscriminate whether their targets were human or mutant so as not to reveal their hand too quickly. Next, they planned the abduction of human children from homes and schoolyards in various middle or lower class neighborhoods. They had chosen blonde human girls between tges ges of six and twelve. At last count, they had killed six, their bodies dismembered and dumped in the ocean. Higher-class neighborhoods were targeted for burglary and vandalism leaving pro-mutant slogans.

A month ago, they had been ordered to step up their activities and become more visible. Thomas disagreed with the order, stating they could keep up the chaos for at least another three to six months before revealing their nature. He had been overruled and ordered on on the next full moon, he would lead a small pack out to kill any humans found with mutants. He was ordered to leave the mutants alone, to leave witnesses.

Charles came out of Thomas’ mind giving him the order to sleep and sighed heavily as he got reoriented, he realized Scott had obtained two chairs and they were both now sitting down in front of the brig.

When Charles sighed, Scott looked up from the computer tablet he had in his hands. He smiled tiredly, “If you were going to be much longer, I was going to have someone bring down breakfast and coffee.”

Charles pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes. He was tired, more than he expected to be. With the information about Creed, it had taken longer than he’d anticipated. He sighed again and waved towards the werewolf lying motionless in the room before them, “They’re but a small part of the greater whole. These werewolves have been at Lobo Tech for over a year conducting surveillance on the Institute and following our agents at the behest of their Pack Alpha … and Victor Creed.”

Scott was stunned for a few moments as he absorbed Charles’ revelation, then he asked with grim determination, “Why?”

Charles glanced at Scott before returning his gaze to Thomas’ limp form, “He doesn’t know. He’s just following orders.”