Chapter 17: Chapter 17- Aftermath
POV-Lauren
Andy had left with Marcos for his 'part-time work,' as he called it, if only to make his job working for a drug cartel seem palatable for those around him. I never understood why he did it, and even when we mentally link, unless it's in his surface thoughts, I'd need to go digging. I wasn't sure if it was the killing that did it for him. The destructive nature of it. Maybe he had a plan for them like he does for Reeva. Anyway, the two had left, leaving the rest of us in the tower watching news reports of the day's mission turned massacre.
"Commentator Benedict Ryan has called for mandatory mutant curfews, and urged anti-mutant protesters to stand their ground."
"That fucker," Phoebe hissed on the other side of the main hall's couch, where Lorna, the triplets and I were sitting, watching the news response. Mum and Dad were…distant. They knew nothing about what Andy and I planned, and they couldn't know…not yet. So they remain afraid, horrified by the people we are currently working with. The violence was getting pretty bad. Some of the mutants agreed with the massacre, while some felt it too far, with humans not understanding that there was a division between them, grouping and attacking them all. We watched as drone footage of overturned cars and sign-bearing protesters filled the streets, the mob shouting at government buildings and attacking mutants and mutant sympathisers. "The second we get proof," she muttered, eyes a blazing blue. "Then we can really push forward."
The news footage shifted to the efforts of firefighters putting out a burning wreck of a building, no more than a blackened frame. "…In Alexandria this afternoon, when anti-mutant protesters attacked a foster care facility for mutant children. Members of the fire brigade and police force are searching the wreckage for survivors, but none have yet to be found."
Esme quickly turned off the tv, and Lorna began to sob, getting up from the couch to go see her daughter who'd been napping. "Fucking animals," I spit out, feeling sickened and angered that people could do such a thing…to kids. A small genetic difference and these innocent kids had to die because they held the same gene as the crazy bitch Rebecca. Sentinels were cracking down on mutant riots, arresting those they could, while purifiers bashed those they couldn't. Andy had spent weeks showing me the statistics for police response times for mutant, versus non-mutant callouts, the scenes of purifiers attacking people and receiving lenient sentences, or going back to work as cops or regular people. Mutants were being attacked and children were being killed but I doubt there's a single fucking federal agent looking to stop the purifiers right now. Too busy labelling us dangerous and predators. They haven't got a clue. "Girls, I know we're not close, but I need to ask you to do one thing…Go find some evidence so we can crush them completely." The three didn't even blink before nodding and moving off, seeming equally livid at the scenes of carnage and destruction that made Rebecca's seem almost tame in comparison. 'Especially if they suspect their boss has been working with the asshole who pushed for this kind of public reaction.'
*Lauren, I'll be coming home late. The Guerra's will be under our control.* ''Our,' he says, like I would ever be the one to organise or take over a cartel group. I'm glad he tries to make me his equal, even as I struggle to keep up with him, despite the issues we've had recently.'
*Purifiers have gone on a rampage and burnt down a mutant foster care home…with no survivors.* I could feel his rage and disgust, as well as a feeling of guilt, that hung in my stomach as it did his. *The Frosts have continued looking for evidence of a connection between Reeva and Ryan. And did you say you're taking over the cartel?*
*Yeah, but I'll be back by 3 am at the latest.*
*You better be…Stay safe jackass,* I project, closing the link. 'Yet another night of next to no sleep while I wait for him to get back…yay me.'
~~~
POV- Esme
The job at the bank provided us with a great deal of funding and robbed the scum that committed vile acts to mutants behind the scenes, but the consequences…the aftermath, was unbearable to watch. Knowing that to some degree, we…I was responsible for the abuse and deaths of mutants across America. In less than 8 hours, almost 150 had been arrested, and almost 30 killed in resisted arrests. Houses had windows smashed, those that couldn't hide their mutations were forced into hiding, or face the consequences, and what happened with the foster home in Alexandria… Well, I could sympathise with Lorna, and could empathise with the children in the fire. Suffocating to death due to the decisions of madmen desperate to feel in control. Lauren's request to go back to looking for evidence was only seconds from my own mouth, as I felt we needed to do something. Anything to speed up the process.
*Bzzt*
"Esme, a word. Meet me in my office. Just you." 'Well, that's weird. *Hey Phoebe, Sophie, Reeva just asked me to meet her alone. Just figured I'd let you know.* This was a habit we'd gotten into, alerting the others as to where we were, or if we were with someone we didn't trust to better protect ourselves, or in the worst case…avenge.
Entering the blue-painted and grey-decorated room that felt far colder than it actually was, I saw Reeva's frustration. Her fatigue. The incident at the bank weighed on her, and it was her decision to use Rebecca in the first place. "Esme." 'Easier to remember our names alone huh?' "I'm aware that everyone is not pleased with the deaths at the bank, and neither am I. I worry that the event may have painted us and myself in a negative image within the Inner Circle, and I need someone I trust to check loyalties. I would have asked your sisters but they seem…close, with the Strucker boy. 'She doesn't know the half of it. After the almost threesome, the two had remained friendly and flirty with him, and I knew it was more than just a power play. They cared for him, at least to some degree, which makes him the first person outside the five of us that we've genuinely cared for. Sure we can play sweet, seductive and charming, but not once has emotion clouded our minds. Reeva has a point to be concerned.' "As such," she continued, "I need you to scope the loyalties of everyone, even if it means slipping into their heads."
"But Reeva, both Struckers are telepaths of their own and would feel us scooping through them. And Andy's made it clear what would happen if he caught us in his or her heads." 'I doubted he would remove mine or my sisters' heads now, but there was still the possibility of losing his trust.'
"Hmm, then try using those around them to judge their loyalty. I don't care if they like me, so long as they will obey."
"Of course, Reeva. I'll start with Lorna while Marcos is out."
"The cartel again?"
"According to Sage, yes."
"Like I'm dealing with children. Why can't they see their actions risk the future I'm building?" I don't answer, knowing half of Reeva's conversations were meant only for herself, turning and walking back out the door. 'I guess I could also check how they would react to Reeva being replaced. Yes, that seems like a more useful task.'
POV- Andy
Coming home smelling of smoke and the burgers Marcos and I grabbed on the way back, the two of us barely make it up the elevator before being accosted. "Marcos, could we talk?" Esme asked, probably on the orders of Reeva, as Esme and the girls find him rather pathetic and weak-willed. As I hug Esme and slip past her to my room, I'm greeted by a very awake Lauren, who had stayed up watching news reports of the violence from this afternoon. I'd moved back into my room a few days ago after we learnt some control over the telepathy, but the extendable wall had been pulled out so we were more separate. Each of us needed the small bit of distance from each other, even if it was just a psychological one.
"You're back! Thank God," she exclaimed, leaping to her feet and pulling herself into me. She held me in a soft hug for a few minutes, both of us relaxing in the embrace, as if the mere contact was washing away the stress, anxiety and disgust of the day. Pulling her head back to look into my eyes she wrinkled her nose, 'She's so fucking cute when she does that.' "You smell like smoke and perfume…" 'Apparently, Carmen needs to lighten up on her perfume…either that or Lauren's got a yandere-styled super nose.' "Go shower, I'll get you a coffee and Danish." Honestly, that was probably the sexiest thing I'd ever heard someone say, kissing her forehead before heading to the bathroom.
"Make sure it's really hot please," I spout, pushing the dirt, sweat and ash from my skin like a sheet of grime. 'Probably one of the most amazing uses of my power as it saves me from scrubbing my skin raw.' The shower was scalding, as I needed it after a job. It wasn't to wash away the guilt, or even the grime anymore, but to enjoy the warmth it brings, running through my hair and over my skin. I'm…different, ever-changing. And almost every day I learn something new from the inherited memories. First, the multiverse is real, which I couldn't really wrap my head around, but shocked me nonetheless. Second, I have a higher level of understanding in areas of music and art than I thought, having memories occasionally trigger; a band and time spent sketching with graphite and visiting famous art pieces and architecture. Something I'd always wanted to do. I needed the hot shower, the steam filling my lungs to focus on myself, the person I now am. Basically self-therapy but without the conversations and just reflecting.
Turning off the water and towelling myself dry, pulling the water from my hair rather than turning it into a frizzy bird nest, I grab a pair of shorts and join my sister on the couch. Leaning against her was more comforting than the shower, the trust we share is unbreakable, even with all the shit between us. "So how bad is it?" I'd known there was a public reaction, and something to do with Lorna taking Dawn away, but I hadn't remembered everything.
Lauren looked me in the eyes, and I watched as the sadness took her again. "It's bad Andy. A couple hundred mutants were arrested in riots, self-defence and rallies, and over a…over a hundred deaths due to resisting arrest or purifier attacks, not including those in the foster home or mutant-friendly clinics that were torched. So closer to 150 dead." I couldn't breathe properly, like I was breathing in fumes rather than air. I know I couldn't move on Reeva until the triplets had proof of her double-crossing, but because I wanted their full trust and loyalty, a hundred and fifty people had died. Children. Innocent people were murdered because I didn't want to deviate too far from the memories. After all, I didn't want to lose the Frosts whom I had come to genuinely care about. In school, a long time ago, we were asked whether we could kill a hundred people to save one person we cared about, and most said yes with no hesitation…myself included. I thought it would be easy, guiltless. I hadn't even killed these people but I know that I could have prevented some of it. I wish I could have just asked the Frosts to go through Reeva's head for evidence, but they had known each other for a long time, and noted that I hadn't allowed them into mine either.
A sweet, fruity smell broke me from my thoughts and downward spiral, and I realised Lauren had pulled my head onto her shoulder, so out of it that I hadn't even noticed. Her hair, I noted, was the fruity source, and as I breathed it in, my chest felt less tight. "When we take over little brother, we can avenge them. We can stop it from happening again. We can't change what has already happened, Andy." Her hands were in my hair, rubbing deeply into my scalp while the other stroked along my upper back. "But we can try and be better." I wasn't going to cry or anything, but her words were strangely comforting, even if they said what I already knew. We sat like this for a few minutes, our breaths and heartbeats in sync as we sat in silence, grateful for the other.
"You should try and become a therapist if the whole mutant Queen of the world doesn't work out for you," I say, pulling myself from my sister's warmth as my throat goes dry. Summoning my now-cold coffee from the table, I hear her groan.
"And you'd what, run a café? And that has to be cold, she said using her chin to point at the floating cup.
"Doesn't sound too bad actually. I could replace Starbucks with an actual coffee franchise." I didn't even address the floating cup, creating a small flame under the cup and heating the coffee once more. "Do you want yours heated as well?" The coffee was overly sweetened, as it always was when she made it, but I drank it anyway. The two of us stayed on the couch, watching films with our feet reclined, until I passed out during watching Hot Fuzz.
I woke a few hours later to find myself covered in a blanket, Lauren still beside me feeling more rested than I had any right to be after a few hours on a couch. 'As powerful as I am, and will get, she's still taking care of me however she can.' I give a small smile before I put my head back down, not wanting to risk waking her up.
~~~
Waking to the smell of hot, over-sweetened coffee was the best wake-up I could have asked for, even if it meant dealing with the outside world again. The two of us didn't say a word all morning, not needing to, and I left her to get changed while I left to see how the suppression collar plan was going.
*Brzzt*
"Hey Andy, I heard from Marcos about the bank situation, but I needed to hear from someone who was there."
"Hey Sonya, you couldn't have asked Lorna? She was there too."
"She hasn't been answering her phone all day."
"We hadn't planned for any deaths, promise. But the girl our boss demanded we release from a mental hospital and hire snapped as we were leaving. I'm sorry." While only I knew the reason for the apology, I knew the MU would be struggling. "How are you guys hanging on?"
"To be honest, we're not. We've helped a few people, but it's nothing compared to the carnage."
The guilt grew again, weighing inside like I'd drunk a gallon of tar. "I'm sure the people you saved don't think what you did was nothing, Sonya. You're good people, both you and John. There's not much we can do to help you with resources though. I can send Lorna and Marcos down with some cash and a box or two of spare supplies, but that's all I can do for you."
"I wasn't asking for more help Andy, I just needed to know why Lorna felt guilty enough not to answer me."
"I'll send them anyway. Lorna needs a friend like you."
Closing the phone and trying to organise my day, if only to keep myself distracted I groan at the lack of progress by Sage and the Frosts in discovering Reeva's betrayal. While the release of mutants would provide us with an army of powerful and vengeful mutants, it would also release a great number of actual monsters back into society. The killers without cause, the rapists, the arsonists and the mentally deranged. None of these people could be released back into the world, and whether they had evidence or not, I wasn't going to let the plan to destroy the controls for all mutant collars go through. 'Not without vetting and retrials at least.'
Walking past my parents with a quick hug, I stride to look at the developing plans. By tonight, they'll be complete, so I should give Sage a hint on where to find Reeva…unless she's already found her and is concealing it. 'Please don't let that be true, though Sage was incredibly easy to betray her friends in the MU in the memories and in reality, so maybe she did. It's part of why everyone simply believed she was the mole and Reeva killed her.'
"With yesterday's terrorist attack at Creed Financial, we need to be more united than ever. If these mutants don't want to abide by our laws and seek to hurt those we love and the country we cherish, we need to take a stand. Senator Montez has issued a statement supporting the work of the Sentinel Service agents and national law enforcement in combatting the mutant threat. Here with me is a representative of the local purifiers who has volunteered to speak to us about protecting our homes and keeping our communities safe.
"This is good. People need to know where the battle lines are," Reeva notes as Phoebe audibly groaned at Benedict Ryan's speech. "And this is exactly the thing that makes it nice and clear."
I could hear Mom and Dad muttering to each other behind me at her words. They'd both come to accept their new reality to some degree, but wishful thinking and a fear of the unknown always cling to them like smoke to one's skin and clothes. The role of accepting parents fit the both of them like a poorly-tailored suit, and they were only here because they couldn't stand to risk losing the both of us. They still helped the MU occasionally, but now Mom was more focused on Aurora, helping take care of her as if it were her grandchild, something she may never truly get.
Reeva left with a lifted smirk and a peppy attitude, as I crossed the room, approaching the girls. "Esme, how is Lorna?"
"Not great, as you can imagine. The destruction of the foster home hit her especially hard."
"Well, I was hoping you could get her and Marcos to go visit Dreamer at the MU. You don't even need to give them any of your resources if you want, just some of the stuff gifted by the Guerras and some of my cash."
"But there's a meeting on the plan and then we are following through on the plan this afternoon. Reeva won't-"
"Esme," I spoke softly, stepping closer to take her hand. "She needs a friend right now, and to be specific…she needs Sonya. I could take that whole building down if I wanted without her, and so could Lauren. Lorna's your friend too, and we both know she won't want to leave Aurora for a few days anyway."
"Fine…I'll go reason with Reeva and tell Lorna. Do you want me to tell her it's a mission from you?"
"No. It's not a mission, just an excuse really." Bringing her palm to my lips, to kiss her hand, I thank her for her decision, both of us knowing she would have to deal with a particularly frustrated Reeva. "You girls haven't been actively following Reeva, have you? Leaving the spying to Sage?"
"Well, yeah." Esme nodded.
"With the amount of work we have to do, there's not really the opportunity to follow her around," Phoebe followed.
Sophie put her hand on my arm, softly rubbing it, "Sorry, we know how important it is."
"It's fine, I just have to talk to Sage. Hopefully, I'm wrong about something. If I text you in a few minutes, come to Sage's den," I say, voice cold. Sage was one of John, Lorna and Marcos's friends and an expert with computers. I didn't want to have to kill her, but the complete lack of loyalty she'd shown before was disconcerting. 'I pray I'm wrong about this.'
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