threat of eXtinction
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"Hey guys."
Reed calls all of us, his family and I, over for a talk.
"So, we need to talk, and I know it's late, but I just learned something and it's important that you hear about it from me."
"What's going on?"
"Yeah, you're kind of freaking me out."
The Strucker children ask their father.
"You know we've been looking into the Sentinel Services program that's turning mutants into weapons against other... well, against all of us here."
My body just tensed up a bit. It has just been literally a day since I came back and already things have changed. Not to mention they say to have some information on Jack.
Andy put a comforting hand on mine, causing me to lessen my tense body.
"Yeah, you were searching those computer drives. You found something?" The older Strucker child responds.
"I'm afraid so." Reed answers. "Sentinel Services have been working with a defense contractor called Trask Industries."
"Wait." Cate interrupts. "The sane Trask Industries where your father worked?"
"Yeah."
This made the two Struckers and me turn our heads to each other in quite shock.
"You said Grandpa disappeared years ago. That he ran out on you and Grandma." Andy said.
"That's not entirely true. He lives up in Chattanooga."
"That's two hours away." I noted.
"We've never even met him." Reed's daughter starts to get a bit anger.
Caitlin then comes in. "Okay, that was intentional. He wasn't good to your father, growing up."
"He's a difficult man. He was always working, he was never home. We weren't close." Reed further explains. "I got sick when I was a kid. I almost died, and... he didn't even bother to come to the hospital."
"Harsh." The teen boy comments, as I sighed to the sad story and Lauren reaching out to her father's hand.
"I haven't spoken to him since before you two were born." He was referring to Lauren and Andy.
"Well, I think you're going to need to speak to him now." Cate advices.
§
It was late at night and I couldn't sleep.
The image of Phillip and Willow can't get out of my head.
When their faces turned to stone ice and how my powers could get the details of fear and panic, all trapped in frost is almost... beautiful.
I got up from my bed and, nervously, went to the kitchen to get me a glass of water.
With my powers active in one hand, I make my way to the room, until I heard a single quiet noise behind me.
Quickly, I turn my body and made an ice dagger in my palm, to see Andy's covering his face so that I don't hurt him.
"Jesus, Andy, what are you doing?"
I asked, making my ice weapon turn into snow, that falls on the ground and would melt.
"Y-You realized this was how you got kidnapped in the first place, right? I saw that your bed was empty so I just wanted to make sure you're, like, okay."
At first, I was suspicious because Andy was definitely a heavy sleeper, but I just ignored it.
"Well, I'm fine. Just needed a glass of water."
Before I could walk away, Andy spoke up, saying, "You know, I-I can get up both waters, while you just sit down for a bit."
I was too tired to argue by saying that, "I don't need to be babied" or "I can handle it", but, of course, I was honestly too tired to care about it.
I just nodded my head and walked over to the nearest window with the most light, rather than turning on the lights and waking everyone up.
As I sat down on the floor, Andy came and passed me my water, sitting down next to me.
"So... couldn't sleep?" He asked me.
"Yeah. J-Just some insomnia, it's nothing."
A silent pause came. The both of us drank our water and was surrounded by our own thoughts.
"Lux... what are we?" Andy asked me.
I looked at him, slowly, and was quite happy that he brought it up.
Our kiss was something, well, in my eyes it was.
I knew this would change us and I hope for the better. It's just, now that we both confessed our feels, we don't even have a title for our relationship, if we were counted to be in one.
"I don't know, what do you think?"
"Well, I do like you and you like me, so... why not try and be, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend?" He tells me, almost awkwardly.
In my head, I was excited. This was what I've been wanting, it's literally right in front of me.
But the other part was telling me different... we are wanted, we go on missions and have responsibilities. But do we care? Would we even have time for a relationship?
Would us being in a relationship just ruin what a good friendship we have now?
Even with all the doubt and happy thoughts in my head, I gave him my answer, an answer that came from my heart.
"Yeah, I'd like that, Andy."
§
It was morning and I was anxious.
Sage and another mutant were to inform me about Jack.
I was in the control room, tapping my foot rapidly like some rabbit.
I hear someone come to the doorway, I turn my head to see Lauren and Andy.
"H-Hey guys." I say to them, trying my best to ignore my nervousness.
"We just wanted to say that we're hear for you if you need anything." Lauren gives me a small smile, before she hugs me for comfort.
"Yeah, thanks."
Lauren then quick left, seeing the tension between Andy and I.
He turns to me, fiddling his thumbs.
"Why is us being a couple now suddenly awkward?" He asked, causing me to give a chuckle.
"It's our first relationship we've ever been in." I remind him. "Look, it's not awkward until you make it, so, I won't make things awkward if you don't."
"You are asking the wrong person if you think I stop being awkward, I'm the definition of awkward."
"Come on." I laugh, playfully hitting his shoulder. "At least, try."
He rolled his eyes in a jokingly matter. "Fine, but don't expect total perfection."
"And I can say the same."
We both turn to see Sage making her way to the control room and my heart starts to beat like crazy.
Andy starts to make his way out. "W-Well, I should get going-"
"Wait," I stop him, holding onto his hand, tightly. "C-Can you stay?"
I trusted Andy.
I just felt so alone, just waiting for Sage, with me seeing this... I was gonna feel like I was in total isolation.
Andy intertwined with my hand and nodded.
We both stayed as Sage walked in the room.
"Here's Jack's file." She pulls out a vanilla file, setting it down in my lap. "It has everything, where he was transferred, his abilities."
I opened it and I was shocked to see the picture.
Of course, he did grow up, but I didn't imagine what he'd look like right now.
He looked like dad, his hair was extremely cut short and and could tell the little scruff he has on his chin and upper lip.
When we were little we looked a like, we would always call each other twins, but seeing him now, we were far from looking alike.
"W-Why is his location unknown?" Andy asked Sage.
My green eyes reverted to another paper that had showing the transferring locations, there was one spot with the words "N/A" that was connected to the latest date.
"Where is he?" I question, stammering over my words.
"Last time he was seen, he was getting transferred to the same facility Reed and Lorna were going, but an accident happened."
"What accident? What are you talking about?" I start to raise my voice.
"The trunk holding the mutants crashed and no mutant was found in that trunk. They escaped."
"What escape? W-What are you talking about?"
She turns to her computer and types on her keyboard. "I had to access many Sentinel Service facilities, which were difficult to break, but I found a weak spot in cameras on the streets. Which in our luck, was the same camera that captured the entire escape."
Andy and I were silent.
Was this a lie?
Was she joking?
Then on one of the big computer screens, we see the video start to play :
Two cars were infront of the main trunk, and the same went for behind.
The main trunk was rolling in, but an explosion happened - it happened to all 5 vehicles.
They weren't an average explosion, these explosion came from the sky, multiple of them, all lightning bolts.
The four little cars were crashed, by them hitting into each other and/or trees in the area.
The main trunk swerved and crashed in a tree, the two officers that were on the trunk, one was thrown out, and when he landed to the ground, he was found dead.
The second officer wasn't so lucky as to him crawling out, but his body was being hammered down, with no one near or on him to do so.
The mutants all got out and when they saw the coast being clear they ran.
Finally, the last person to get out was a boy teen boy, older than her and Andy's age, walked out. His ears and nose ran with blood, I couldn't see his face, but his limp and body language told me that he was in pain for a long time.
Then his face turned to the camera - Jack Mycroft.
His eyes were electric with thunder, like the time he first discovered his abilities.
He extended his arms and two lighting bolts too his arms, he push himself up, having the lighting carry him away.
My breath was chopped and dry.
I felt my eyes start to puddle, just seeing what he had done.
"Oh, my god." Andy mutters to himself.
All I did was stare into the screen, with the frame paused, seeing his eyes staring back at mine.
§
It was Reed's time to leave, to go see his father.
We all greet him goodbye, but my whole body just felt scared.
As I hugged him, I held him tightly.
"I'll be back, Lux, don't worry." He tell me, letting go to say his goodbye to Lauren and Caitlin.
"Are you still on about Jack?" Andy asked me.
"You saw him, Andy. H-He's out there, somewhere." I say, with my voice cracking a bit.
"At least, he's all right, right? He's not in Sentinel Services hands, anymore."
"I know, I know. But this entire time he was gone, I automatically thought he was dead. I didn't go looking for him, I just... I left him there."
The boy pulls me in for a hug. "You were 13, Lux. There was noting for you to do, don't blame yourself."
All I did was stay silent for his reply.
Andy stayed there hugging me and didn't let go.
In honesty, it was good that Andy was confused about being in a relationship, because at this time, I needed my best friend, and that he was.
§
After Reed completely left, the Strucker's and I stayed to take care of the injuries group of mutants that had just came in to headquarters.
"Okay. It's gonna get worse for a second, and then it's gonna get better. I have to pop it back in." Cate tells a little boy, who had a slight dislocated arm.
Lauren sits down beside him, with a thick folded hand towel "Hey. Want to look at me? Bite down on this. Really hard, okay?"
The boy did.
"Three, two, one."
It was popped back to place, with the boy scream muffled into the towel.
"All right. All done, better?" Cate asked. "All right, move your fingers. Move your nose."
The boy laughed a bit as he did what he was told.
Andy and I care into the party.
"Let's get him a sling." Cate asked her son, as I sat down on the other side of the boy.
Cate gave him a few comforting words, before leaving to attend other people.
Andy got the long cloth and set in front of the kid.
"Yo, I'm Andy. We're gonna sing the sling song, okay? Join in at anytime."
The Strucker boy then starts to beatbox, earning me a smile.
He then kept on replying with 'sling' and beatboxing on repeat.
As he was done, I wanted to try something a little fun for the boy.
"Hey, I'm Lux." I greeted myself. "Want's your favorite animal?"
"D-Deers." He stutters.
I smiled at the boy.
I put my hands together just think of snow and the shape of and a deer.
I opened my hand to see a tiny little snow deer, which was moving.
My hand then bounces it up and the deer started to run around in front of the boy, with little snowflakes falling down from its hooves.
Lauren was equally as shocked as the boy, both giggling in amazement.
Andy pulled me closer to him, whispering, "I didn't know you could do that."
I only smiled at him. "I didn't know either, until I tried."
§
"I can't be sure without examining her, but you could be right. Sheds got all the symptoms of withdrawal." Cate tells Marcos.
Lorna and Marcos called the Struckers and I to check out a certain mutant that was surely not well.
Andy and I held hands as me both looked at the woman, who was trying to use her abilities but failing from her being in the jail cell.
Her body looked to be wore out and everything just looked terribly exhausting.
"Have you ever seen a mutant on Kick?" Marcos asked Mrs. Strucker.
"Um, what's Kick?" Andy asked.
"It's a mutant drug." I answer. "I read all about it. It boost your powers for a while, makes you feel like your a god, invincible."
"Yeah, and it gets you hooked before you even know what hit you." Marcos comments.
Cate then says, "Well, if that's the case, we might be able to treat her."
"Wait a second. We're treating her? Why don't we just bring her a fruit basket while we're at it?" Lorna sassed.
"If we treat her, she might be willing to cooperate." Marcos argued.
"Yeah, or she might just get stronger and try to kill us all again."
"Can you just listen for one second?"
"Could you not be-"
"Stop it." Cate shouts. "Both if you. Let's try to remember, we're fighting for a world where people can actually live together. That starts here."
The six of us looked at the addicted mutant.
"Now we gotta figure out how to strain her." I tell them, seeing the mutant woman zipping and running side to side in the cell.
After a minute, we came up with a simple plan.
Andy and Lauren were in front of the bars, while Marcos, Lorna, and I stand back, with Caitlin talking to us.
"I'm just guessing on the dosage. Hopefully, this knocks her out, but if something goes wrong-"
"We'll be ready." The green haired woman assures her.
Everyone got into place.
The addicted mutant stopped in a single spot for a good second, which led Andy to push her up against the bars. Lauren, then, creates a shield on the woman's chest, making her stay still.
"I got her. Go!" The teen Strucker girl tells her mother.
Cate was quick and pushed the syringe into her neck and that completely knocked the fast mutant into unconsciousness.
"That's was exciting." I mutter to myself sarcastically, earning a slight smirk from Lorna.
The group and I were hustling to straining her.
The mutant was on a metal table, where Marcos and Lorna adjusted the small metal rods to perfectly keep her body put.
"She looks so small." Lauren comments.
"Yeah, for real. Is she gonna be okay?" Andy asked his mother.
"She's used to massive doses of this drug they're giving her. This'll help, but I don't know for how long. I think she's dying." Cate tells hem, referring to the syringe in her hand.
"Well, if that's true, she's got no reason to give us anything." Marcos tells her.
"Mmm, you'd be surprised. I once treated a gang member with a fatal gunshot wound. As she was dying, he told the cops everything he'd done, just to get it off his chest."
"We gotta hope she's in there." I say out loud.
§
"Are you people crazy? Taking her out of the cage?" A hulking man exclaims to me.
This man was pissed off at the addicted mutant, who was still unconscious.
He wasn't the only one, he and a couple of his friends were almost ganging up on me, like I could actually do something about it.
Every step they took and I stepped back.
I didn't want things to get physical with abilities and whatnot or with me starting something that it's unnecessary, so the logical option was to fall back.
"I understand that you are upset. But you would you please stay back." I tell him.
Even when I told him, the man still continued to make his way to me.
"I don't understand why that thing is even here. She gets loose, she can kill everyone."
"We need to get her information, she is hurting, right now. Keeping her in the cell will not help us. We need to keep everyone safe." I stop my footing and standing my ground with a roar.
"We'll be safe when she's back in the cage where she belongs." The man roars back to me.
I then felt someone push me behind them in a protective way. I see Andy standing right in front of me, looking at the man with a glare.
"Hey. Back off." He told the man.
"It's fine, Andy-" I try assure him.
"No, this guy has something to say, he'll say it to me. Right?"
If looks could kill both of them would be dead by now.
That all was off the table, once the whole headquarters started to rumble.
The hulking man noticed how much actual danger he was putting himself in, seeing everything around him start to move unstably.
"Okay, cool off." The man backed off of us. "Just... tell them to be careful down there."
The man left Andy and me alone, with his group and him walking away from us completely.
"Thank you." I tell him, holding onto his hand.
"Come on now, you're my girlfriend. Nobody talks to you like that." He says to me.
I smiled kissed him on the cheek, which made him blush.
I couldn't help myself but giggle at his reaction. It was cute.
"Guys?"
Andy and I turned to see Lauren in shock looking at us, holding blankets and waters in her hand.
The Strucker boy and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
We haven't really told anyone about us being a couple.
Was this relationship a secret?
Would Lauren care?
Would Mr and Mrs. Strucker care?!
"Um, we gotta tell you something." I hesitantly tell the blonde girl.
"Yeah, no shit."
§
It was quick to say Lauren was totally on board with Andy and I's relationship.
Andy and I thought it would be best if it would be a secret until we tell Andy's parents about us.
In all honesty, I don't think Cate will like it. Her and I have a rocky-like relationship, but it's not like we dislike each other, because I know we both are fond of each other, or at least I was fond of her.
Reed, I feel like would accept it. Him and I have a good father-daughter relationship, a family relationship that I never had.
It was late now and we were all just waiting for Reed to come home.
Lauren and I were playing Hangman as Andy and Caitlin play a card game.
Soon, we all saw Mr. Strucker at the doorway.
"Dad!" Andy says.
We all got up to greet him home, Lauren was the first, giving him a big hug.
"What took you so long?" She asked.
"Are you okay?" I asked him.
"Um..." He tried to find right words to say.
"What is it?" Andy goes closer to his father.
"What happened with your dad?" Lauren asked.
Reed was just speechless.
He didn't have to say it, we all knew what had happened to him.
Caitlin gave her husband a grieving hug for Reed, who was fighting back the tears in his eyes.
I looked at both Andy and Lauren who held hands on comfort for one another, as I stayed beside Andy, looking down at the floor in dismay.
Otter Strucker: Andy and Lauren's grandfather, Reed's father - was dead.
❅ ❅ ❅