More Than the X Can See

Chapter 29

As with their first trip, Nathan made Angel concentrate on their surroundings on the way back to the hotel. The Paparazzo was arguing with two men when they left the restaurant so he wasn’t able to follow them. It was when they got on Interstate 280 that she’d heard the siren and felt when the car being driven by the Punk was told to pull over by a highway patrol car. Two larger trucks had boxed him in and all four vehicles had gone down an exit ramp.

The SHIELD van parted ways after they left the restaurant, but John and Steve had followed them to the hotel in the Chevy truck. John went to help Nathan gather his things. Steve followed Angel and Logan to their connecting door, but Angel held her hand up to stop him and told him she needed to talk to Logan privately for a moment.

She closed the door gently, forcing herself not to slam it in the SHIELD agent’s face. Logan had already headed into the bathroom and she followed him. He was bending over to retrieve her shampoo bottle from the tub corner and she got a nice view as the jeans tightened over his ass and defined his thick muscled thighs. Lust overwhelmed her and she approached him, palms curving to feel the muscles in his buttocks flex under her fingers as he stood up. His warm body pressed against hers as he straightened, making her want to press closer. She could smell the maleness of him, his musk, and her hands began to travel around his hips seeking more sensitive flesh.

Logan hadn’t expected her to press him for sex so quickly. He’d heard her tell Steve she wanted to talk to him, but he hadn’t expected her to physically approach him. He couldn’t touch her until after Hank had checked her out at the SHIELD labs. If he fucked her now, there would be contamination from the condom or his semen or both. It could screw up the lab results and Hank would have to start all over. It was best to wait until after the test samples were taken and then he could take his time to satisfy her needs.

“No,” he said firmly and pushed her hands away, his wide shoulders forcing her back as he turned to face her. He held the shampoo bottle in front of her nose, completely shattering the moment, “We need to get moving.”

She pouted, sticking out her lower lip and he had to steel himself. Her smell and the knowledge that she was after him for sex wasn’t helping him control his animal instincts, his feral self demanded he make his claim on her. It knew that if he refused her, she might leave him and approach the other male in their little ‘pack’ and that wasn’t an option as far as it believed. The other male was another strong Alpha and he wasn’t sure of his dominance should it come to a fight between the two of them.

“Just a quickie,” she cajoled, “I don’t know how I’m gonna feel doing it there. I don’t exactly trust my rights to privacy with SHIELD.” She had enough distrust of military organizations to believe they’d do anything. “I don’t want to see my face on some soldier’s amateur porn website,” she added.

“I told them we wanted clean rooms,” he said, stepping around her and grabbing the toothpastes and toothbrushes off the counter. It was highly tempting to do as she asked, but he didn’t want to treat her like a piece of meat. Sure, he was enjoying her body, but that was beside the point. After her hormones stabilized, she’d have time to reflect on how he’d treated her and he didn’t want her to think he’d taken advantage of her situation when all he was doing was fulfilling his duty of guiding her through her first Feral Heat and satisfying her needs.

She followed him into the main room as he explained, “That means those rooms should be free of any and all surveillance.” He dropped her toothbrush and toothpaste into her open suitcase.

“And if they’re not?” she asked petulantly.

“We get to destroy them ourselves,” he said, holding up his fist.

She could feel the muscles in his arm flex around his claws and she smiled. She was getting frustrated enough to start being cranky and committing some physical destruction was beginning to sound good.

The door opened and Nathan walked in, Steve right behind him. “Move out,” he ordered.

Angel’s mouth dropped open and she spread her arms in dismay, “We just got here!”

“That Punk had Willie Pete’s,” Nathan growled as he grabbed the two bags worth of clothing Angel had recently dumped on her bed and tossed them into her open suitcase.

Indrawn breath hissed through Logan’s teeth.

“What’s a ‘Willie Pete’?” Angel asked, confused. Her imagination and hormones making her think it a slang term for erectile dysfunction.

“White Phosphorous Grenades,” Nathan replied grimly, grabbing the shampoo bottle out of her hand and tossing it into her case. “Hundred foot blast radius sets everything on fire, burns through steel, water doesn’t put it out. That rifle you detected was a grenade launcher.” He gave the room a quick look and, using the superior strength in his mechanical left arm, shut her overstuffed suitcase with ease. He picked up the case by the handle and tossed it to Steve. He turned back to her with a solemn stare, “Now, we’re leaving.”

Logan stood up from zipping his bag, he grabbed her arm and half-dragged her out of the room as she tried to comprehend the situation.

John and Steve put the hotel dolly to work and let it carry most of the bags as they led it towards the elevator. Nathan had one bag strapped over his shoulder and Angel could detect the knives, guns and ammunition inside. With a quick movement of his wrist he could put his hand inside and grab one of two guns. That realization heightened her awareness that John and Steve were now wearing concealed guns under their windbreakers. If she considered Logan’s and her own mutant abilities into the equation, all of them had a weapon that easily came to hand. Now she understood why they were using a dolly instead of carrying everything.

Once they had all squeezed into the elevator and it began it’s decent, she asked, “You don’t think we’re going to be attacked on the way to the truck?”

No one dignified her question with an answer.

In the parking lot, Logan touched her elbow and nodded towards the vehicles. “Clear?”

She scanned the two trucks, trying to sense anything out of the ordinary. “Both. As far as I can tell,” she said.

Nathan took the private conversation he’d had with Angel into mind when he made Logan sit up front next to John. He was glad he’d done it when he noticed Angel giving him a speculative look. He was surprised she was still interested in sex after the information he’d given her. He chalked it up to her combat naivety and hormones. He just hoped McCoy would be able to come up with some wonder drug that would allow her to concentrate on the mission and not their dicks. He ordered her to be on the alert for anything out of the ordinary in the cars that surrounded them and was reassured her mind was back on the mission when her eyes lost focus and remained that way for the rest of the trip.

Nearing their destination, Angel was surprised to find herself on Hunters Point, a long promontory in the southeastern portion of San Francisco, extending eastward into San Francisco Bay. The area used to be a Naval shipyard where military machinery was decontaminated and later the place was converted into a government radiation research laboratory. Once the government had no use for the site, they gave it back to the City which tried several times to turn the place into a business center, but the history of toxic contamination and surrounding dilapidated neighborhood had put up big red flags on many an entrepreneur’s radar. It made headlines when SHIELD bought the property for pennies on the dollar and there was speculation whether it was a good or bad thing to have a “foreign” military facility half a mile north of Candlestick Point and the massive sports stadium that dominated it.

As they drove up to the gate, Angel noticed the wide swath of well-maintained lawn that led up to the thick concrete and electrified fence that surrounded the facility. Not only was it imposing and deter inquisitive locals from trying to enter, but the lawn created a clear field for the inconspicuous security cameras she sensed. The guard at the gate was serious and to the point, requesting to see their identification. She’d never been this close to a SHIELD agent wearing full uniform and was surprised by what she sensed. The seeming body conforming material was some sort of polymer armor that concealed several pocket-like areas where he was able to conceal a miniature camera and microphone including the batteries and wiring that they required. An earpiece led from his armor and wrapped around his ear unobtrusively. His weapons and ammunition pouches hung from several straps that strategically crossed his body. To say the least he was impressive and not at all what Angel had expected in a security guard, but then, she’d never before attempted to enter a military facility.

As John put the truck in gear and drove through the now open gate, she refocused her attention on her surroundings. To the south lay a large stretch of land nearly bare with the exception of a few large metal buildings before dropping into the bay. She could see the stadium, a curving fixture just beyond, to far for her senses to reach. John took the main road which lead towards the center of the Point and a large, tall cluster of buildings. Beyond, she saw the massive cranes originally erected by the United States Navy and now serving an unknown purpose for SHIELD. Below the cranes she was barely able to see and detect the docks on the north and east side which were separated by a clump of long, low buildings. The closer they drove towards the center, the more detail she was able to scan from the buildings. Parking garages, living quarters, offices, rooms of varying sizes and countless people were scattered throughout the jumble of metal and concrete buildings which stretched both above and below the earth, most of which had no to few distinguishing markings that she could see other than the location and amount of windows or reflective panes as they drove through the streets and into the tallest of the structures.

While two uniformed SHIELD agents stood guard as another verified their clearance, Angel detected the hidden artillery and machinery that protected the parking garage entrance including two other agents who monitored them through cameras from a nearby room. It only took a few moments before John was allowed to enter the parking garage and drive into a pre-designated space.

Angel expected them to get their luggage when they got out of the truck, but the men headed directly for the nearest elevator with John in the lead. Her close proximity and the lack of obstructions allowed Angel’s senses to examine her surroundings more thoroughly. As she crossed the parking lot in the men’s wake, she became aware of a significant amount of a metal beneath the garage level that she’d never sensed before and her steps slowed as she stared at the floor, her senses trying to determine the properties of the substance.

Logan with his superior senses was the first to notice Angel lagging behind. He turned around and approached her with a raised eyebrow, “Something I should know about?”

Angel shook her head, “The base of this building was engineered with a metallic substance that I can’t identify. Do you know anything about that? Is it normal?”

With a half smile he said, “Nothing is ever normal with SHIELD.” And he took her arm, guiding her in the direction of the elevator where John and Nathan impatiently held the door open. Absently, Angel noted, as she turned to face the elevator door as it closed, the elevator only had two buttons, up and down, instead of an array of numbers.

Angel wanted to tell Nathan of her discovery, but John’s presence hindered her ability to impart the new information. Before she could figure out a way to mention her discovery, the elevator stopped and the doors opened onto a long sterile white corridor that ended in a metal door. The only decoration on the wall was what appeared to be a television or computer screen mounted to the wall nearby the elevator. Once again Angel was intimidated by SHIELD’s security measures as she detected cameras, weapons, machinery whose purpose she could only guess, walls and doors that could pop up or out from the side, hiding empty hallways along their approach. As she absorbed the information her senses relayed to her, she put her hands up defensively with a sharp intake of breath. Her mind screamed that they’d entered a trap.

“What?” Nathan asked sharply. From behind her, he’d heard her gasp and seen her hands fly up.

Her eyes flew to each hidden danger, metal spikes in the floor and ceiling, various large guns, something that looked like a huge fire extinguisher. “Spikes, guns, … things. Gas?”

John stepped around Angel and into the corridor, placing his body between her and the danger that lurked within the walls. “Just a few of the surprises we have for anyone who might decide to try to get into SHIELD by force,” he said, stressing the words ‘by force’. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

“You could say that,” she said weakly.

Nathan stepped up behind her, “Angel—”

Logan grabbed his arm, shaking his head, “She needs to know why. You’re the one who tossed her into the deep end.” He looked at John, “Explain it to her.”

John glanced from Logan to Nathan and then at Angel. How green was this girl? His expression hardened, “You do know that there is technology, not to mention mutants, who can mimic my appearance?” At her nod he continued, “SHIELD has a lot of … materiel,” his expression softened at his need to be ambiguous about what SHIELD guarded, “that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. All this,” and he waved his hand to take in the whole hallway, “is just a few of the precautions necessary to keep them safe. We need to verify our identification,” he pointed a thumb at the screen next to the elevator, “before we can get any further into the building. If we don’t verify, the defenses go active.”

“Uh-huh,” she looked at the array of defenses she could sense. “Then why wasn’t all this out front? Why didn’t we have to verify who we were at the gate or before we got into the parking lot?”

“First of all, they knew we were coming. But to answer your questions, the dedicated defenses are out of range of civilians as a safety precaution and the analyzer isn’t portable or sturdy enough, not to mention to expensive, to place outside the building.”

“Oh,” her eyes scanned the hidden weapons, “How do we do that?”

John demonstrated by placing his hand on the screen. The screen lit up in a red hue and a monotone voice requested his name. After stating his name and badge number, the voice verified him and the screen turned green. John motioned for the X-men to do the same.

Logan put his hand on the screen and said, “Logan. X-Corporation Agent Wolverine.” The screen turned green.

Nathan placed his right human hand on the screen, “Nathan Summers. X-Corporation Agent Cable.” Green.

The men waited expectantly as Angel placed her hand on the screen and said, “Angelique Green. X-Corporation Agent Halo.” Angel could feel a slight tingle while the screen was red.

The red screen turned an amber color and the monotone voice said, “Identity incomplete. Subject unauthorized, officer verification requested for admittance.”

John stepped forward, “Admittance authorization X-ray Mike Echo November Golf Whiskey Bravo Seven Two.”

The screen turned green and the monotone voice responded, “Welcome Halo, report to Laboratory Three Bravo to complete identity verification.” Angel sensed some of the corridor defenses shift so they didn’t aim directly into the corridor.

“Welcome to SHIELD,” John grinned at her before turning and leading the way towards the door at the end of the hall. The door opened into a lobby with an exit to both left and right. The three beefy male SHIELD agents in full uniform looked up from behind their computer terminals behind a long desk. The cameras in the lobby were more obvious, but less noticeable were the large firearms and heavy body armor strategically located behind the desk. A huge formal symbol of an open winged eagle behind a beveled shield and the words Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage and Logistics Directorate decorated the back wall. It was the same symbol, but with greater detail, that she had originally sensed on John and later seen as a badge on the shoulders of the uniformed agents.

The three agents watched them as John led them towards the door on the left into a much smaller corridor containing several elevators on either side. John entered the last elevator on the right and after they had joined him and the doors had closed, he entered a sequence of numbers into the back-lit buttons instead of a floor number. A small shelf above the elevator numbers silently extended from the wall. On the shelf sat what appeared to all intents and purposes to be a set of wrap around sunglasses. John picked up the glasses and put them on. Immediately, the lenses of the glasses began to glow neon green. John gave his name and agent number once again and then rattled off another series of letters and numbers.

Noticing Angel’s questioning gaze, Nathan explained, “The glasses are verifying his retina pattern. It’s harder to duplicate than fingerprints.”

“What are they going to ask for next?” she asked. “DNA sample?”

“Not quite,” John answered, taking the glasses off and returning them to the shelf. “But I wouldn’t put it past them to add that next,” he said with a smirk. The shelf retracted into the wall and the elevator moved so imperceptively, it was only through her senses that Angel was able to tell that they were traveling downwards, far below ground level.

“Where are we going?” Angel asked. “Laboratory Three Bravo?”

“No,” John replied, “The Director wanted to see you asap.”

The elevator slowed and smoothly shifted direction, moving horizontally.

Angel grabbed the handrail as her senses tried to comprehend a four directional elevator. “What type of elevator is this?” she asked in amazement.

John just smiled as the elevator slowed again and came to a complete stop. The elevator access was behind a hidden door and once the elevator doors opened, they had to wait a few seconds as the secret door opened to reveal an opulent office suite.

As they stepped into the office, Angel turned to watch the secret door close flush to the wall, leaving a seamless surface. The door and wall surrounding it had a thick plastic polymer covering, almost like glass, and the moment the door was closed, the wall lit up and Angel found herself looking at an eastward view of the San Francisco Bay. The passage of an oil tanker in the distance and a seagull flying near water’s edge echoed in her extended sensory range and she realized that although she was seeing the picture several hundred feet underground, it was current and the view far above ground level. A special camera near the top of the building was relaying a perfect image of the scenery to the office wall so that it was nearly impossible to tell that the wall was not a room-spanning window overlooking the Bay. Anyone who first walked into the office through the normal double doors that were centered on the wall to the south might believe that they had walked into a top-level office in the building above.

To either side of the double doors stood floor to ceiling bookshelves in a dark cherry wood grain. More matching bookshelves and cabinets lined the walls on the opposite side of the expansive office. Flanking the square multi-screen entertainment center set into the west wall was a large trophy case and photo gallery. The trophy case contained several military items including previous incarnations of the SHIELD badge and various Medals of Honor. The photos pictured many highly placed officials both past and present of several governments and United Nations sanctioned paranormal humans including multiple pictures of Captain America. The only thing in common with every photo was a tall middle-aged man with an eye patch covering his left eye. Angel detected the cache of weapons and military gear behind the trophy case and a fully stocked wet bar behind the photo gallery. Her architectural design knowledge allowed her to understand how both walls revolved independently like massive lazy susans. A hidden trigger on both revolving walls allowed them to open manually and she suspected there was probably an electronically remote way to open them, too. The concealed surround sound audio system and two well-placed cameras were nearly impossible to detect by the naked eye, but much more familiar to her battered senses.

Dominating the room was a massive crescent shaped desk in faux cherry wood placed in front of the entertainment center and facing the false window. The polymer surface of the desk was broken by an inset keyboard, flat screen monitor and a large cup holder, within the desk she identified a sophisticated computer and laser printer, but she was unfamiliar with the purpose of the rest of the concealed equipment—some of which contained the foreign metal she had been unable to identify earlier.

The man with the eye patch from the photos sat in a tall comfortable, leather executive chair behind the desk. He wore a tailored SHIELD uniform and eye patch a shade of navy blue that was almost black. Natural black leather equipment and weapon belts crossed his chest, waist and both thighs. The white hair at his temples was a stark contrast with his thick brown hair and instead of detracting, added distinguish to his square jawed good looks. When the X-men walked into the room, he had one black booted foot crossed up on his knee while he perused a folder spread open in his lap, a lit cigar cradled between his fingers gave rise to a sweet smelling ghostly trail of smoke above his head.

John walked up to the desk and saluted, “Divine Weapon acquired, Sir.”

His lone brown eye rose from the papers in his lap and swept across the room taking in the new inhabitants. Gaze returning to John, the man gave a nod, “At ease.”

“Divine Weapon?” Logan snorted, emphasis on the Divine.

“Archangel and Halo,” the man pointed at Angel with the hand holding his cigar and stood up, transferring the folder to his cigar hand. Xavier had briefed him on the best way to approach the new X-Agent. He felt he shouldn’t cater to her feelings about military figures, but for Xavier’s assistance, he was willing to treat Halo as a civilian instead of the new recruit that was her current status. “I regret that we can’t meet for the first time under better circumstances, Doctor Green.” He walked around the desk, ignoring the men, and approached her with an outstretched hand. “I’m Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD.”

Angel shook his hand with a smile, “Director.” Her senses recognized that something was different about the man as their hands touched. With her intimate knowledge of both Logan and Nathan’s systems, she realized that here was another man whose body did not age.

“We have a lot to accomplish,” Fury said briskly as he took her arm and led her to one of the two leather-upholstered chairs in front of his desk. “I’d like for you to go over the information in this file. It’s a list of men and women SHIELD has been tracking and whom we believe may be involved in the terrorist attacks aimed towards Worthington Enterprises.” He handed her the folder. “Tell the Major if you recognize any of them.” He glanced at John who gave a quick nod of acknowledgement and moved closer to Angel’s chair.

“Cable. Wolverine. Follow me,” Fury ordered as he turned on his heel towards the double doors.

“No,” Logan said, crossing his arms and planting his feet. “I’m not leavin’ her ‘til I know what the sit rep is with your flunky here.”

Fury’s eye narrowed and he glanced at John before turning to Nathan, “I thought you were the leader of this team.”

“I am,” Nathan replied, “but he is correct. We want your word that they’re our backup.”

Fury nodded assent, “The Major heads Zero Company. Considering your reputations and Halo’s inexperience, I assigned them to Divine Weapon. They are authorized to requisition whatever you need from SHIELD including the special arrangements you required for your quarters.”

Nathan raised a questioning eyebrow at Logan waiting to see if Fury’s response would be enough for the feral to leave Angel behind.

Logan’s eyes narrowed on John and his nostrils flared. John straightened his shoulders and raised his chin while levelly meeting the mutant’s gaze. Options flew through Logan’s mind at the Major’s challenging stance. Most of those options would end in violence and he immediately discarded them all. Angel’s pheromones were still wreaking havoc with his responses and he needed to adjust his reactions accordingly. “He’ll do,” Logan said gruffly and lead the way out the double doors.