X-men: Bast Ch.4

Finally, Charles nodded. “Very well. Stay out of sight and stick close to Logan and Rogue. Come, we must hurry.”

Rogue grabbed her waffle from the table and distractedly munched it as they headed into the lower levels and the hanger where their aircraft, the Blackbird, awaited. Her calm, casual bearing was at odds with Kia’s nerves. This would certainly be a challenge, though she felt eager to show she could be of use.

As she strapped herself into a seat on the Blackbird, she stared into space, a heavy feeling in her gut. “That man,” she whispered under her breath, but her companions were too busy with take-off preparations to hear her.

***

The crowd was out of control, rioting wildly already. The square the political rally had been held in was mostly empty now, with the mass of rioters moving down the street and causing damage as they went. A dozen police officers in riot gear were out trying to quell the riot, but the crowd of people lashed out violently at them. The rioters were clearly doing the intimidating and controlling here. The four X-men were standing on the roof of a small building near the crowd, crouched down and out of sight as they watched the chaotic scene unfold. Windows were being broken, things stolen. Innocent, confused people were beaten and mugged. A few cars had been turned over and set alight. The fire department couldn’t get through the roiling, violent crowd enough to get the hoses to the flames.

Several chants of Anti-Mutant sentiments floated through the air, but it was mostly swallowed by the general roar and of the screaming crowd. While there was certainly still an unfriendliness toward Mutants here, it wasn’t truly about that anymore. The rioters were more focused now on whatever acts of violence and looting they could accomplish. A good thing for Mutants, yes, but certainly a bad thing for everyone else.

“We gotta get them fires out,” Rogue commented.

“Agreed,” Charles nodded. “Storm, if you will?”

“Rain! Come forth to cool the flames of these peoples misguided hatred!” Ororo tilted her head back slightly and then held out her arms, palms facing upward. Her eyes went white. Storm’s Mutant ability was that of mastery over the weather, controlling the elements to bring about rain, wind, fog, sunshine, or even snow and hail. Thick, black clouds formed with a suddenness that had often left meteorologists baffled. The dark clouds roiled and pulsed with their fullness.

The sky broke apart, letting out such a torrent of rain that it shrouded the streets in sheets of watery downfall. The freezing, fat drops splattered through the crowd, completely drenching everyone in moments. The fires hissed and sizzled weakly as they died out. 

Much of the crowd began to run and disperse, their violent mentality apparently dropping off as the rain chilled and soaked them to the bone and the wind drove the downpour into their faces with stinging force. Even once the flames died and much of the rioting folk dispersed, over a hundred remained, gathering together and walking around the wide streets, overturning cars, stealing goods from shops, and beating the meager number of police with folded chairs and various blunt objects. Several good Samaritans tried to help the officers, only to be turned on by the violent crowd. 

“Stubborn bastards,” Logan commented.

“I do not think they will stop for anything I can do to them, Professor,” Storm said after slowly lowering her hands. Her eyes returned to normal.

“Their anger is growing,” Kia said softly, her senses extended over the crowd below. “It’s turning into rage. These people want blood. Mutant blood. And that some of their fellow humans are trying to stop them is making them even angrier.”

“The real die-hard hate mongers , eh?” Logan growled.

“Can ya use your power where we’re standin’?” Rogue asked.

“No, I would have to be closer,” Kia replied.

“Logan and Rogue, escort Kia into the crowd. She might be able to help the situation,” Charles nodded.

“Ya got it, Chuck,” Logan grinned.

“Keep an eye on us, y’all,” Rogue said.

The three Mutants descended to ground level and after watching the violent crowd for a moment, walked out into the rain-slick streets. Their clothing was soaked and they were as cold and wet as the rioters were. Rogue and Logan flanked Kia as they approached. 

Several of the rioters spotted the trio and started toward them, gripping whatever they had gotten their hands on as weapons. But after no more than a handful of steps, they halted, their weapons slipping from their hands. They glanced about, confusion and a hint of unease on their face.

“The hell is goin’ on?” Logan asked Rogue quietly.

“Ya don’t know?” Rogue. “Kia’s empathic. She can use her empathy to connect with someone, and usin’ that she’ll drain feelin’s. It don’t work too well on folk who’re strong willed, but these folk are simple ‘nough. Ask her if ya really wanna know more about it. Now ain’t ‘xactly the best time, Sugah.”

A steady trickle of wet, cold, and confused people were leaving the crowd, wanting nothing more than to go home and get warm and dry. More of the enraged group rushed them. Even as Kia strained to drain and nullify the intense emotions of the attackers, fists and weapons flew. Rogue ducked a man swinging a lead pipe at her head and gingerly booted him in the stomach. Even with her best efforts to be gentle, the man went flying a good three yards back and collided with a wall.

“Oops,” Rogue muttered, only half meaning it.

One particularly unlucky rioter took a swing at Logan’s head with his bare hand. Logan stood motionless and the man’s hand cracked sharply against Wolverine’s Adamantium skull. Logan shoved him roughly, and the man was so distracted by the pain in his hand he tripped and toppled to the ground. A second man rushed Wolverine and swung a blunt club. Wolverine stepped quickly in, past the range of the club. He caught the man’s arm, then snapped a head butt out, knocking the attacker out and causing him to crumple to the ground, his nose broken.

Kia continued to siphon off the anger of the crowd, sweat washing off her body by the rain overhead. It was difficult, the flow of violent and ugly emotions these people exuded. She had to open herself fully to that hatred in order to drain it away, and it almost made her sick to feel the heat of it beating against her. It took some time, but it was relatively effective, and the crowd steadily dwindled. About every fifteen or thirty seconds, another rioter or two left.

Wolverine carefully watched two thugs with knives eyeing his two female companions, ready to spring on them if he needed to. Rogue was pretending to ‘struggle’ as she wrestled a folding chair away from a man almost three times her body weight.

Logan heard a scuffle at his feet and looked down to see the man who’s hand he’d broken with his skull reaching for the discarded club with his good hand.

Logan laughed softly. “Ya don’t give up, do ya? An’ here I was gonna leave ya with a hand to work with. Ah well, yer problem now.” Logan smashed his heel into the man’s outstretched hand, cracking bones and popping joints. The man screamed and rolled away, shakily climbing to his feet. He stumbled and weaved away from the scene of the riot.

Logan’s head spun quickly at the cry behind him. Kia was crumbling to the ground a few feet away. A tall man stood over her and her temple was red from where he had struck her. He had one hand tangled in her thick brunet hair, and the other reached for the wallet in her back pocket. 

Before Logan could explode into furious motion, the man froze, his body going still. Logan glanced around to see the rest of the crowd similarly motionless, standing stiff and still and gazing out into space.

Is she okay? Xavier spoke into his mind.

Rogue walked over to Kia and examined her, looking over the large welt forming on the side of her face. “Ah think so, she’s just kinda bruised. Pro’lly got hit from behind.”

“Ya ain’t gotta say it out loud, ya know,” Logan pointed out as he walked closer.

“Now ain’t exactly the time, Sugah,” Rogue repeated her earlier words.

I will take care of the rest of the crowd, Xavier told them. I did not want to have to mind-sweep them, but it seems we have no choice. I cannot hold them more than a few more moments, and the police will not arrive in great enough numbers to restrain them until after they have already hurt more people. Too much has been done already. Return to the Blackbird.

Rogue grabbed Kia’s wallet out of the would-be thief’s hand and pushed it back into Kia’s pocket. Logan grabbed a handful of the motionless man’s hair and used it to toss him roughly to the ground. He reached down and hoisted Kia from the floor and onto his shoulder.

As Logan and Rogue returned to the aircraft, Charles finished memory wiping the crowd, erasing only the very surface of their memories, enough to make them forget why they were angry in the first place. The Professor let out a deep sigh as he wheeled his chair back to where the Blackbird rested, cloaked and unseen on the spacious and empty roof. 

He hated using his powers, his gift, for such purposes. There were much temptations behind having such a powerful mind, and the less he tempted fate by using them in such manners, the less chance he would ever give in to a more powerful and dangerous temptation. 

But then, was it any wiser for him to use Kia’s power in such a way? Was not using her Empathic powers to neutralize someone’s negative emotions just as risky as using his telepathy to neutralize their negative thoughts? Charles pondered that heavily on the flight home.

***

Kia regained consciousness shortly before the Blackbird returned to the Mansion. Despite repeatedly insisting she was fine, Charles firmly insisted she go see Hank or Jean to be sure she didn’t have a concussion. Kia hastily chose to have Hank examine her. Ororo offered to accompany her to the med-lab to keep her company.

As soon as the Blackbird was safely nestled in the Hanger in the sub-levels of the Mansion, Charles hurried to the War-Room to begin researching this Anti-Mutant politician. He was gravely worried; if the man could stir up such a violent riot from a simple speech, what would he be capable of if he became Senator? Kia, Storm, Rogue, and Logan all stayed behind to finish shutting the Blackbird down and getting their aircraft fully ready for its next launch. Kia helped Rogue tidy the interior and exterior while Storm shut the systems down and Logan refueled the plane.

As the four finished up their various tasks and chores, Scott came storming into the Hanger. He was scowling deeply and the icy glare he swept over his four team mates was visible even through his ruby glasses.

“What the hell was that about?” he demanded. “Where do you all get off taking the Blackbird by yourselves?”

Before anyone else could make a sarcastic remark, Storm answered, “There was a riot near Manhattan. It was becoming very ugly, and there was a possibility that people would be hurt and Mutants would be persecuted. We had to quell it.”

“A riot?” Scott sneered. “Oh, this was the perfect team to bring to take care of a situation like that, Storm. You took the half trained and practically useless woman who refuses to listen to orders and the two biggest hot-heads on the team. You could’ve gotten everyone killed!”

“I don’t listen to your orders,” Kia clarified icily.

Ororo almost took a step back in shock, her eyes wide. Scott had recently begun to question and criticize her methods, undermining her authority when he felt his way was best. But he had never openly attacked her like this before.

“Ya got a problem, Cyke?” Logan growled softly. “Maybe ya oughta go take it up with the rioters we took care of. I’m sure they’d be glad to take some pipes and chairs to yer face. Fix it right up for ya.”

“I have a problem with loose cannons like you going on missions without someone to watch them. Especially missions to keep the peace!” Scott snapped.

Logan growled and clenched his hands into fists.

Kia sighed and crossed her arms. “Yeah, because you’re being so peaceful right now, Scott.”

“Cool it down, Scott,” Rogue agreed. “It ain’t like we was hurtin’ anything. We took care of the riot and kept a lotta dangerous folk from hurting innocent people. What’re ya getting upset about? Everythin’ went fine.”

“It doesn’t matter if things went ‘fine’,” Scott scowled. “Storm acted without thought for the consequences of taking such a poorly suited team into action. When we need to take someone down we’ll call you two in, but otherwise you need to stay out of the way!”

Logan snarled and took a step forward, but Rogue grabbed him by the collar of his coat and yanked him back.

“That’s enough!” Ororo declared loudly. She shook her head, still unsure of where these personal attacks were coming from, but she wasn’t about to let Scott cow her in front of her teammates. 

The Goddess was out. 

“Scott, I can appreciate you viewing this situation from an angle we didn’t think of, but we did what had to be done. If we hadn’t acted, many would have been hurt, and lives would have been lost. Inaction would have only served to cause more harm. And questioning my judgment in such a hostile and, worse, public manner is not going to help anyone here. You’re out of line, way out of line, and I don’t appreciate it.”

Logan grinned widely, waggling his eyebrows at Scott from behind Storm’s shoulder. Kia couldn’t help but smile slyly as well. Rogue just looked annoyed at Scott’s hostility.

Scott opened his mouth to snap at his team mates again, but he never got the words out.

Scott, the Professor spoke into all of their minds. You are misplacing blame here. I ordered the these four to deploy, not Ororo. . You do not give her enough credit. Besides, I accompanied them and advised them on what I felt was best. Ororo handled the situations quite well. I thought this would be a good team to handle the situation, and I was right. If you wish to dispute the decision further you may come speak with me. Otherwise, stop upsetting everyone, please.

“Count on it,” Scott muttered aloud. He shot the four Mutants one last glare before stomping out the hanger.

“What a loser,” Kia said, raising her voice so Scott would catch her words before the door shut behind him.

“Sometimes I wonder what is happening with him,” Ororo shook her head.

“Somethin’ crawled up his ass ‘n died, that’s what happened,” Rogue replied.

“Fuckin’ tool,” Logan growled.

Kia glanced at her friends and stepped away, walking toward the exit. “I have some papers to grade. See you later, everyone.”

“Not so fast,” Ororo laughed, the incident behind her for the moment. “You have to see Hank first.”

“No I don’t,” Kia complained. “I’m fine!”

“It’s team policy,” Ororo insisted. She gabbed Kia by the wrist and began to half-drag her toward the infirmary. “Don’t worry, I’ll be getting an examination while I’m there, too,” she assured Kia.