RogueStar

"Ain't no problem," The woman stuck her hands into the pockets of her
leather bomber jacket, "Don't mind walkin'."

"The government has made attempts before at infiltrating the base."

"Any successful?"

"Nein. No agents have escaped alive."

"Guess we'll have ta make an exception this time then."

"Wie bitte?"

[I beg your pardon?]

"Ah'm an agent of McTaggert's an' Ah'm takin' you in foh treason," she flashed
a badge at him before sticking it back into her pocket, "Don't even try ta
resist. Ah've got a dampenin' field on that counters your powers."

"When?"

"When Ah stuck mah hands into mah pocket just now," she smiled quickly,
"Rule number one, sugah, always check your potential rebels' pockets."

The contact struck out at her desperately and she caught his arm, twisting it
behind him painfully until he cried out.

"Now, come along . . . Ah've left a homin' beacon here so Ah know where ta
come back after Ah've delivered y'all ta McTaggert. She'll be mighty
interested in findin' out what you know about leBeau's operation."

"Why?"

"That girl you brought in earlier? McTaggert wants her back - bad."

"Why?"

"No harm in tellin' you now. She was the prototype of the super soldier
operation. The first person to receive implants. She could blow the cover off
our whole scheme if she got out."

"Are you a super soldier?"

"Nope. Ah'm your common or garden mutant."

"Then, one question, why would you betray your own?"

"Simple, hon. It's that or die. You rebels think you stand a chance?" she
laughed, "Lawd - you're deluding yourself. It's her way or no way at all."

"Genocide? You want that?"

"Is that what sort of propaganda crud leBeau feeds you to keep you loyal?
McTaggert don't want genocide - she just wants ta keep th' two species
separate."

"Sounds like apartheid."

"Whatevah. It makes sense - humans are scared o' us an' we're superior ta
them. Shouldn't live together."

"Yet you work for a human?"

"Ah don't like you, fuzzy elf. Let's go . . . ." she poked her energy weapon into
his back and began the long, slow walk through the tunnels.

"Perhaps he got lost." Unuscione suggested, "Or got stupid and got caught."

"P'rhaps," he exhaled in a cloud of smoke, "If so, we better go save him."

"And risk the rest of us getting captured? This is a war - we must be prepared
to suffer a few liabilities."

"Listen t'yaself, woman - if we can't promote some sort o' espirit de corps,
we're lost."

"Espirit de corps is a myth propagated by the losing side as a consolation
prize."

"Loyalty means not'ing to ya, does it?"

"Loyalty loses battles. Magnus was captured when he went to save his
follower - Illyana. He hoped to use her to travel back in time and assasinate
the witch at an early age. McTaggert found her and caught her. Magnus went
after her and . . . boom . . . he now works for the witch."

"I see, chere," Remy stubbed out his cigarette thoughtfully, "Bien - de Contact
stays dere until we c'n find a chance t'get him out o' dat charnelhouse."

"Yeah."

"How's the new recruit, Pryde, doin'?"

"We've found her a place to sleep - apart from that I don't know."

Remy nodded his head in satisfaction, "Tell de team dat we'll be launchin' a
pre-emptive strike t'morrow on a Sentinel factory. We need t'destroy de
source of de t'ings t'nip dem in deir bud."

"Very good. I'll go now."

"Merci, Uniscione."

"It's my pleasure, sir. If you ever need anything else . . . ." she smiled
suggestively, "Just call."

"I don' t'ink so, U," he said with a grin, "De rebellion needs ya more dan I do
right now."

"Yes, sir," She snapped her heels together in a crisp military salute and
departed.

"Kenyan," Mystique replied, "Courtesy of a raid on the human's warehorse. I
believe it's McTaggert's white-haired lapdog's personal stock."

"I couldn't care where it came from right now," she took a sip, rolling the
flavor around in her mouth, "I used to be addicted to this stuff before
McTaggert banned it as yet another human-only luxury."

"Enjoy it. We're running low."

"Oh."

"On everything. Ammunition, supplies, clothes."

"Sounds like time for another shopping spree!" Jubilee grinned, "Rebel style!"

"Choose and don't pay. Ever," Iceman added.

"Uh oh. Looks like Madame Martinet is back," Lila whispered, "She looks
mad as well."

Unuscione surveyed the drinking rebels with disgust.

"The leader says we will go on a raid tomorrow."

"A raid?"

"To a sentinel factory to destroy them at their source."

"Can you tell Remy that we are running low on stock?" Mystique said snidely,
"Seeing as you have such a special relationship with him."

"You dare imply?"

"I dare plenty. Like thinking that you want to have your claws into him and he
won't let you."

"Smart man."

"Very."

Unuscione sighed, "Be ready tomorrow early. We strike at dawn."

"I won't forget to set my alarm clock," Iceman joked, "Nothing like a fight to
start a day out right. Hey, that rhymed!"

Unuscione turned and walked down the passage. If she was leader, she would
teach them some discipline. But she wasn't and never would be. While Remy
lived . . . . She brushed the thought away, despite her earlier statement that
loyalty meant nothing to her, treason was not her style. Better to wrap the
leader around her little finger and manipulate him that way. Unuscione smiled.

"Sabrina Parker. MPF."

"Lieutenant Parker," The guard automatically snapped to attention, "What
brings you to this charming jail?"

"He does," she jerked her head in the direction of the Contact, "Interrogation."

"Ah. Can I leave you two alone?"

"Please."

The guard ambled out into the hallway and Sabrina took his seat.

"So, sugah, Ah don't suppose you'll tell me much by your own volition."

"You suppose right, Leutnat."

"Hmmm . . . we do have methods o' makin' you talk. Generally, it's easier an'
a lot less messy if'n you spill th' beans."

"That may be true, but I am prepared to die for my beliefs."

"Do you know how tired that sounds? Can't tell you how many people Ah've
heard it from. Usually, their resistance lasts about as long as it takes ta put
them in a life-threatenin' situation."

"I'm different."

"Can we just talk, fuzzy elf? Ah don't really want ta hurt you."

"I'll discuss weather, politics, religion but nothing to do with the rebellion."

"Tell me 'bout th' rebel leader."

"leBeau? What do you want to know, fraulein?"

"Anythin'. Ah'm tryin' ta make conversation."

"He's smart. Better than all the rest of the factions because he uses his brain
instead of his heart. You might say he is calculating."

"A man after mah own heart, Ah see."

"He would not agree. He hates McTaggert and all her minions with a passion,
Leutnat Parker."

"Call me Sabrina. Sabby, if you must."

"I don't think so, Leutnat. I won't be lulled into a false sense of security."

"Suit yourself, fuzzy elf," she fished in her pocket for a cigarette.

"Smoking? It will kill you."

"Most things will, sugah," she lit it with a Zippo lighter and sat, dangling it from
long fingers.

"I thought you were returning to the base."

"Ah am - Ah just need enough information ta keep mahself from gettin' killed."

"And you think you can get it from me, Leutnat?"

"Certainly," she walked over to the security panel and turned the energy bars
off.

She exhaled a cloud of smoke, revealing the infra-red sensors that formed a
criss-cross pattern across the cell. Gently, she rose into the air and weaved
neatly through them.

"You fly?"

"Stupid question, sugah."

"What other powers do you have?"

"Y'all'll see soon enough," she removed her black glove and smiled, "Ah call
this game Brain Drain."

Sabrina gently touched his lips with a fingertip and the world spun into
blackness.
 
 

To be continued . . .
 
 

1. MPF = Mutant Peace-keeping Force
2. Leutnat is German for Lieutenant. But you knew that, didn't you?