The X-Men: New Additions - Part 7

Author:  Stacy Ricco

 
    The next week went by rather quickly. At least to Alex it seemed to go by rather quickly. To the students it felt like an eternity. Sean and Emma had suspended all the classroom sessions, which made the kids think that it was going to be an easy week. All they had to do is work with Alex on controlling their powers. They were unprepared for twelve hours of intensive sessions. The sessions ranged from meditating to jogging to combat. At first they took everything lightly, but quickly realized that Alex wasn't going to put up with fooling around.
By the end of the first week, they were complaining more about Alex than they did about Emma, all except Jubilee. A bond between the seasoned soldier and the bubblegum chewing teenager had formed. The bond was strengthened when Alex told Jubilee of Bobby's reactions to all of the practical jokes Alex had played on him. Most of the practical jokes were Jubilee's idea. Alex even had Hank continue them in her absence, so that Bobby wouldn't get suspicious.
    Saturday had finally rolled around and Alex gave them the weekend off. She even suggested a trip into the city. It was eagerly accepted and they piled into the school vans. Sean and Emma drove one while Alex and Rogue drove the other. Alex was following the van that Sean was driving.
"Where is he going?" she asked the students in her van.
"Oh. Sean can't stand Boston drivers so he takes the route that has the least amount of traffic. Even if it does take twice the normal driving time," Jubilee piped up from behind Alex.
"All right. Let's take a vote. Who wants to keep following Sean raise your hands?" Not one hand went up.
"Who wants to go a different way?" Everyone raised a hand.
Alex took the next exit off of the highway and they pulled onto another highway. Alex stepped on the accelerator and brought the van up to a cruising speed of eighty miles per hour.
"Um chica the cops patrol this highway pretty heavily."
"Angelo, Massachusetts cops don't pull you over for doing only eighty. You have to be going at least ninety to get one to look at you."
"Have you lived in Mass before Alex?"
"I lived in Boston for about three years, Jubilee."
Alex weaved in and out of traffic and made very good time. They did pass a cop sitting along side of the highway, but he didn't even blink when they went speeding by.
Ten minutes later Alex parked the van in the parking garage beneath the Prudential Center.
"Where are we going again?"
"Kashmir. It's on Newbury Street which is a block over that way," Alex said pointing across the street. They crossed the street and made their way to the next street over. They walked for about five minutes and reached their destination.
"How long do you think it will take the others to get here?"
"About forty five minutes."
"Jubilee, I know you're pulling my leg."
"Alex I'm not. Bet you ten bucks it will take Sean that long to get here."
"You're on kid."
Jubilee won the bet. Sean, Emma and the rest of the students arrived at the restaurant forty-five minutes later. Alex handed Jubilee a ten-dollar bill and Sean just looked at her.
"We had a bet."

    After dinner the students ran over to the mall in the Prudential Center while Alex, Rogue, Sean and Emma decided to take a walk in the Public Gardens. The night air had a slight chill to it, as it usually does in mid-September. Alex was having a pleasant conversation with Emma and Sean. Alex suddenly had a stabbing pain in the back of her neck.
"ARGH!" she screamed and doubled over in pain.
"Alex what's wrong?"
"I don't know Emma," Alex said through clenched teeth. Then it struck Alex. She knew what the fortuneteller was saying about shadows of the past coming back. She didn't even want to think about the part about lying in the arms of the Mother. She really didn't feel like dying right now, but there was a small shred of hope.
She looked at Emma and Sean. "Listen. Something really bad is going to happen and you should get away from here." 
"What are ye talkin' about lass?"
"Look I really don't have time to explain. The people I used to work for have found a way to come here and now they're coming for me. If you're anywhere near me when they arrive you will be killed."
"What do you mean?"
"Emma, I'm considered a renegade now. There's only one thing you do with renegades and the people that help them, and that's kill them. Now please get out of here. I really don't want anything to happen to you two and the kids."
"Everyone please come to the Public Gardens ASAP!" Sean shouted over his COM badge.
"SEAN NO! This is my fight and mine alone."
"Sorry lass. We're all a team and what happens to ye happens to all of us."
"Rogue," Alex said turning to the woman who had become one of her closest friends, "You have to get out of here. This is no place for you. Please tell Logan I'm sorry. ROGUE GO NOW!" she yelled.
Rogue nodded and started walking in the direction that they had just come from.
"Emma and Sean, please go. I don't want to be responsible for your deaths…ARGH!" she screamed as a new wave of pain ripped through her body.
    Alex managed to look up from where she was doubled over. She saw eight people in gray uniforms walking toward her. A whole squad was sent for her. Perhaps should feel honored that she made them send a whole squad. She recognized a few faces in the group and knew this would be difficult for her and for them.
"Halt!" one of the eight shouted.
"I won't resist," Alex called back. "Please make it quick."
"We are here to apprehend you, not kill you."
Alex was puzzled. She walked out from where Emma and Sean were standing.
"What do you want?"
"Our orders are to bring you back to where you belong."
"Why don't you just kill me like the normal procedures call for?"
"Our orders are to bring you back."
They had reached Alex by now. She stood still and didn't say a word. They surrounded her.
"Emma, please don't try to stop them. I don't want to see any of you get hurt or killed. Whatever happens please don't try to stop them," Alex sent the thought out to Emma.
Emma nodded slightly.
Alex looked around at the faces of the soldiers that had her surrounded. She saw a very familiar face.
"Hi Sybil," Alex sent the thought out in the direction of her former squad member. Thankfully Sybil was a telepath and was able to answer Alex. Alex noticed that Sybil was holding a small remote like device. Alex knew what it was. With one push of a button Sybil could kill Alex in two seconds. The remote would send a signal to the implant at the base of her brain causing it to shut down her nervous system.
"Alex. I'm sorry. I had no choice."
"I know you are only following orders. You know that I can't go back."
"Alex?"
"Sybil you know that they won't hesitate to kill me when they are done."
"Yes I know."
"That's why I can't go back. I really don't feel like dying anytime soon."
"Alex I understand."
"So what should we do?"
"You know I will say that we found you and regretfully you refused to come with us and were killed. I owe you that much for all the times you saved my worthless hide."
"What about them?"
"I don't know. They won't hesitate to tell the truth and that means they'll only send more after you."
"I know."
" Somehow we have to make them think you are dead and the implant removed.
Alex, we have a device that will remove the implant, but you have to be dead for it to work."
"There's the rub."   
"Alex, do you think you can heal the damage the implant will do to your nervous system?"
"I think so, but I'm not sure and I don't want to bet my life on it. Perhaps if I could shutdown my body?"
"That might work. They gave us a new device that we're supposed to use to remove them, but only after the person's dead. Perhaps if we can trick the device into thinking you are dead, we might be able to remove it."
"What do we need to do?"
"Well we're going to have to make it look believable. You will need to try to escape and I'll pretend to kill you with the remote. You shutdown your body and hopefully we will be able to remove the implant. If the device isn't tricked I will have to activate the remote. Alex, I will miss you. You were like a sister to me."
" I will miss you too. Will you tell the rest of our squad goodbye for me?"
"Of course I will. Farewell dear friend."
"Farewell."
    Alex started to struggle. She hit the closest person to her with an elbow. Four members of the squad were on her instantly and dragged her to the ground. She tried to fight them off. She saw Sybil starting to 'press' the remote to shutdown her nervous system.
Alex went limp and let her body react. Hopefully it would shut itself down enough so that the device wouldn't be able to tell that she was still living. The four people on top of Alex's unconscious body stood up. Sybil approached the body and checked for a pulse. She didn't feel any.
"She's dead."
"Remove it," one of the men ordered.
Sybil nodded and removed a device that was attached to her belt. She turned Alex's body over so that she was laying face down in the grass. Sybil put the device on the back of Alex's neck, right at the base of the skull. An indicator light on the device remained red. It should have gone green. Sybil knew that the device wasn't going to work. She pressed the button on the remote for real. Alex's body convulsed and then went still again. Sybil reapplied the device to the base of Alex's neck again. The light went green and there was a small click. She removed the device and a small cut was evident on the back of Alex's neck.
Sybil looked around at the people who were with Alex. She looked at the woman wearing a skintight white dress.
"There still might be a chance to save her. Her body might be able to heal the damage done to her nervous system. I'm sorry I had to do it. She was my friend."
Emma nodded at Sybil.
Sybil looked at the squad leader and nodded. He looked at one other member of the squad. A gateway appeared and the squad members began to walk through it. Sybil took one last look at Alex and stepped through. The gateway winked out of existence when the last member stepped through.
Emma produced a cell phone and called 911. Sean rushed over, flipped Alex's body over and began CPR. Five minutes later the paramedics were putting Alex into the ambulance.