Blueshift
39
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Blueshift Chapter Thirty Nine (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… *bouncy *
loverly and wondermous for archiving/hosting.
Eventually you’ll catch up… Morgan: *GLOMP * Readers/Reviewers:
Tarot
twisted her hair deftly back from her face, shoving the chopstick into it
without breaking stride. The lab had
been, to put it mildly, rearranged in her absence.
rendered her recon a bust and now, she seethed silently, she comes back to find
that someone has disrespected her work and her space, moving and re-labeling
test tubes, violating formulas with the addition of paperclips and correction
fluid and, she stopped just outside Magneto’s study, someone had messed with
her coffee. She raised her hand to knock
only to have the door swing open and reveal Mystique.
the blue woman, annoyed by her presence.
“…is busy,”
Mystique answered shortly. “You’ll have
to wait until morning.” She did not shut
the door, though, merely stared back at Tarot, daring her to respond.
After a
long, silent moment in which the faint skritch of pen
on paper could be heard from within the study, Tarot could not hold back.
“That’s
nice,” Mystique said softly, raising a brow.
“But he’s busy. You have
start to shut the door then but drew back sharply at the sudden appearance of a
woman clothed in shining robes, a gold diadem on her brow, jewels fairly
dripping from her garments and from around her neck and fingers.
to fill the space with her energy. It
took a moment for Mytique to realize what had happened
and by then, Tarot had shoved past her and into the study.
the Empress card from the carpet and turned to confront the girl as the image
faded. “You should know better than to
use your powers on one of us, Tarot,” she spat the name as if it were
bile.
Tarot
tossed her hair insolently, ignoring Mystique, doing everything except stomping
her foot to get Magneto’s attention.
When pouting did not work, she cleared her throat and folded her arms,
leaning closer to the desk. “We have a
problem,” she said tartly. Mystique
stood close to her, so close that Tarot could smell the faint musk of her
perfume and feel the strangely cool aura of the woman’s skin.
“Yes,”
Magneto murmured, “it’s rather bothersome to be in the middle of paying bills
and be interrupted by someone who cannot follow simple directions.”
pen down on the ledger and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across
his chest and regarding Tarot’s surprised visage with an assaying gaze.
keep in mind that no one is my favorite here and you can and will be replaced
if you displease me.”
Swallowing
hard, ignoring Mystique’s slight smirk of pleasure, she straightened her spine
and said levelly, “Someone has been attempting to sabotage the lab, Magneto.”
plain mischief that had befallen the lab in her absence.
or anything, but I can never tell with him.
you cannot see.”
Magneto
closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.
Incubus would need to perform his duty soon.
brushing his throat, seeking his soul, others he wondered if he even had a soul
and if those cold fingers were his own imagination, taunting him with bleak
eternity. “Incubus would not lie about
this. He knows the risk to
Check with Fred. He sees and
hears more than he speaks. It’s a matter
of finding the right question.”
Mystique
cocked a brow. “Blob?
mischief. He’s been at the boardinghouse
until this morning when Sabretooth picked him up.”
“Yes, but
still waters run deep. Check with Fred.”
She
flinched at his tone but did not let her sudden uncertainty show in her
voice. “The recon was a bust.
principles were sequestered with new students.
Pietro tells me Wednesday is the usual day for
the students to go into the city so I suggest we plan another recon for
Wednesday.” Magneto nodded and bent to
his work. After a long, tense, silence,
she added. “And the other plan… it failed.”
Magneto did
not even glance up. “Then try again next
month. Family ties bind, you know.”
Mystique
took Tarot’s elbow then and led her from the room and into the hall, the
younger woman not even attempting to fight it.
As the door shut behind them, Mystique crowded her against the
wall. “Don’t let him do this to you,”
she said urgently, as quietly as she could.
“It’s not for your glory and it’s abuse.”
Tarot
became still and calm, her gaze hooded.
She replied softly, “What I do is my choice.
purpose than you can possibly imagine.”
Mystique
fought the urge to backhand Tarot. “He’s
asking you to be a broodmare for his spawn!” she spat.
that?”
“You would
never understand,” Tarot hissed. She
shoved Mystique aside, surprised at how much effort it took.
down the hall. “He told me how you
tried, how you failed. Do not hope for
my failure. I care about the Brotherhood
and will do this for him.”
Mystique
felt sick. “Fine.”
hall. Wanda and Tabby were safe, as far
as she knew, Lucas with them. She needed
to get to them soon, to explain what they had seen, but first she needed to
find Sabretooth.