The Hela-Carrier was basically dish shaped, though nothing nearly as fancy as the Aztrentian royal yacht. The basic color scheme was gray with slightly homier touches of more gray, people in black uniforms where darting about as if their pants where on fire and that was just the embarkation room where the transportation device had delivered the X-Men. Agent Coulson directed them to the War Room, pointing out areas of interest as they traveled to where the voice of a model aged man could be hears shouting angrily.
General Nicholas Fury was shouting at someone with substantially fewer ranks on their uniform and the man gave a quivering salute and darted off for parts unknown. In his tirade he'd not even noticed that the X-Men had arrived.
"Can't find good help these days Uncle Nick?"
Waya asked. She'd taken to calling him Uncle Nick some years earlier and upon noting his absolute distaste for her lack of respect, she'd been calling him that ever since.
A bright blue eye spied the team and some of the tension Fury had been carrying in his shoulders eased. He by any means wasn't happy about getting called Uncle Nick but they had been on board the asteroid so he started with "Tell me what you know."
(ooc: don't get too ahead of me now, everyone gets one post between my fury posts.)
Surprisingly,
Jeremy was the first to speak up, considering he had seen it all first hand. "There is a floating city orbiting earth, carrying a lot of people, three of our team and many many nukes. It was controlled by Magneto but a man called Cortez betrayed him and flushed his atoms into outer space. Then he launched a nuke. He pinned the death of Magneto on us."
Eliza was a little surprised by Jeremy's willingness to speak up in front of all these officials but chimed in after he stopped "The missile has been stopped before it achieved it's target, but I don't think this Cortez guy is going to stop. There are pod docking bays and places for Magneto to enter in his magnetic bubble. I would also like to request a search and rescue for something inside the Asteroid."
Maribel stayed quiet and let the others talk it out. She doubted this guy knew sign language. She swallowed and glanced around for a water fountain....no
thing.
The twins didn't say anything either. They hated all this governmental crap. They got enough of it at family reunions.
General Fury regarded their words as if they where telling him things he already knew. Looking to Waya without acknowledging the others he said "Reliant information please."
Waya rolled her eyes at Fury and brushed away a few little hela-figures off his nice holographic map of the asteroid that had been laid out in front of him. There where a few small red, blue and green flags in a cup next to the map and she began placing little blue flags. "Points of entry, escape pods, teleportation stations." She placed green flags at all the civilian populated areas, education facilities and medical areas. "We didn't get a chance to see what they have concerning defenses, but we do know that they have a substantial number of heavy defenses, including missiles, fighters and stationary defenses. The best bet is to piggyback off their teleporters signals but that's Liz's department." She took a seat next to the map, encroaching on Fury's personal space just because she could.
Eliza blinked and rubbed her head slowly... really? That was her job? Oh god... she knew the basics but... what if she messed his up? And she didn't really have the time to make many tests. She just hoped that Waya's trust in her wasn't misplaced. "If that's going to happen we can't take many with us... Can I request you and the Black Widow?" Eliza looked up hopefully "There are a lot of mutants up there Nick" she paused and fought a blush "General Fury. I'd like the best."
"Widow is otherwise engaged." Fury said, not daring to comment on what she was busy engaging. "Though I can offer you one better--" the comms unit next to him flashed red and he said "Speak of the devil."
James Rodgers, the new Captain America himself walked threw the war room doors, trade mark shield strapped to his forearm. "I know I'm not as pretty as Mom but will you have me?"
Jeremy very slowly leant over towards Maribel, staring openly at James Rodgers and saying very quietly in her "captain America... did just walk in right?"
Maribel lifted her shoulders, she had no clue. She also doubted he knew sign language either and didn't bother.
The twins snickered to one another for a second before straightening up with their hands behind their backs.
"Your kidding right?" Waya asked Fury without even looking at James.
"Coulson tells me you want to take a team of my men back up their with you, to free your men." Fury told Waya and jabbing a thumb at James added "He's the condition. You want my men, you take him. He's got the clearance to get the job done... right."
"How's if feel being Fury's lap dog?" Waya asked Jimmy. That's what she'd already decided to call him and in the back of her head wondered exactly when Coulson had relayed that message to Fury. At least they where getting a small army of men in black from Fury's own personal stash.
The twins walked over and wrapped their arms around Capt America Jr's shoulders, "Ah come on Waya, leave the guy alone...." The paused and looked at his face closely, "He's cute."
Maribel rubbed her arm awkwardly as she looked around the room, not to mention the men in uniform. This was all too uncomfortable.
James smiled at Waya, as if their three combined smiles might make her less apt to slam a door in his face.
Waya rolled her eyes and looked at Fury. "When do we embark?"
"My men are already being assembled." Fury told her "You get a squad of 6 for your side mission. The rest report to Junior, on their own orders.
"I should really go with those six" Eliza said, trying a half smile at the others "You've got Captain America on your side, I don't think I'll be missed too much. We can keep in contact as well, but... well I'd like to make sure everything's there."
Maribel planted a gentle hand on Eliza's wrist. She didn't need to do that. Her machine will be fine. Besides, Maribel wanted the friends she did have, close.
"We're aware of the technology you too on board the station." Fury said, seeming rather hot under the collar about the subject. "Damn stupid of you'all if you ask me, putting something like that into Magneto's hands."
"I didn't want to leave the mansion... but I also didn't want to leave my machine. I never put it in Magnetos hands... and it still isn't. Not like they could get it to work anyway" Eliza huffed slightly, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor. She sighed and glanced up at Maribel, giving a half smile at her "I guess... if you know everything I've got... and just take everything there... I can stay with you guys."
"You won't have to." Fury told her "We understand what your intentions of the machine are for, that's why your getting 6 as well. Their orders are to extract the machine so it can't fall into Cortez' hands."
Eliza smiled slightly and nodded to Fury "Thanks" she said before glancing at the other "You guys will be fine without me I'm sure. I just need to make sure I get my machine back."
"Just make sure your at the extraction point." Fury told them all and signaled the area on the map "You have exactly half an hour, if we don't receive word from you by then we're blowing the thing out of the sky."
"With thousands of innocent mutants on board?" Waya asked, not liking the idea one bit.
"An evacuation would take a few hours at the least." the twins piped in. "So long as we have the main baddies under control, we have more time to clear out the residents."
"There are children up there Fury..." Eliza pointed out "many innocents. They might be brainwashed but can you really kill them all for that?" She didn't like the idea of blowing the place up... but she thought that maybe she wouldn't be thinking of that too much considering she would be on the place at that moment.
"To save billions of lives here on Earth?" Fury asked rhetorically "You bet your boots I will."
"We'll just make sure that doesn't happen." James said crossing his arms over his chest.
Eliza sighed and rubbed her eyes slowly "Yes... we will." She shook her head slightly "Just hope your team aren't preparing to go in all guns blazing."
<Hr>
"We sorta are your guys distraction." James told Eliza "You know us Americans and our guns." There was a wry sort of smile on his face, one that said he had his men on a leash and the X-men needn't worry.
A nondescript military type stepped up to Fury and alerted him that "We're approaching altitude sir."
Furry shooed him away and told the teams "We're using a fancy new gizmo that's going to beam you directly aboard the asteroid. Trouble is," He sneered at a stuffed suit with a brief case who had been ordered to stand in a corner until Fury barked for him. "Legal says I have to inform you that there is a .2 chance that you could end up being flipped in side out when you rematerialized."
The lawyer in the corner pulled something out of his brief case, it looked suspiciously like a stack of stuff they where going to have to sign.
The twins look at one another, "Star Trek, much?" They both shrugged and walked forward to sign without a second thought.
Maribel was quite a bit more hesitant. She didn't know too much about all this sciencey stuff, but she sure as hell didn't want to be turned inside out .
Fury grunted at the lawyer and the little guy went around with a pen and document for each of them. he held out his brief case so they didn't have to stoop.
"Your kidding me?" Waya scoffed, hesitating when the lawyer came her way.
"More like Galaxy Quest" Eliza hummed slightly, gazing at the stack of papers they were supposed to sign "Is it alright we sign those afterwards? I always like reading what you've asked me to sign first. Right now I think there are certain circumstances that would allow us to use the product BEFORE signing?"
"You know- she makes a good point." Jaden said, glancing back at Eliza. The two looked forward at the lawyer and the papers in his hands.
"Besides, we have no proof that this isn't trial 1. I don't like being considered a Guinea pig." said Jaden.
"Then your staying here." Fury said in a tone that sounded as if he understood their position and didn't like a pip-squeak lawyer butting his nose into his operation.
"Wonderful, hope you like being carpet bombed by missiles" Eliza said, frowning and crossing her arms. She squirmed slightly and sighed, not wanting to say how she basically had to go up because if they DIDN'T then they'd all die. "Look, just let us get up there" Eliza huffed "Then we'll do all the signing and stuff."
"You heard her." Fury told the lawyer with a slight smirk. He snapped his fingers and a tech came to retrieve the team. "Follow him." He was suddenly swarmed by guys who apparently needed to discuss planetary defenses and it was apparent that their meeting with Fury was over.
Glad all this damn rhetoric was finished Waya stepped out to follow the tech to wherever it was they where going.
Glad that the conversation was over as well, Jeremy followed the tech; he was also glad that he was AFTER Eliza in the line for signing. He would have just put his name on any contract given to him to be honest. It was a habit, if you didn't sign, you didn't get what you wanted; then again daily life didn't usually envolve nuclear missiles.
Maribel was still nervous about the 20% inside out statistic, but followed the others like a little lost sheep.
The group where led to a circular room that was blindingly white. A few other technicians sat behind a window wearing some sort of led containment suits. They looked at each other and gave the group a thumbs up, seemingly confident with their technology.
"That's what it sounded like to me." James said bringing up the rear with the lawyer in front of him. The suit was stammering about something that sounded suspiciously like "That's not what fury meant!" but his words fell on James' deaf ears.
"Wonder how many tests this thing has had..." Eliza muttered softly, gazing at the techs in their lead containment suits. "HEY!" she shouted through the glass, if her voice could get through "You've made a full spectrum of accounts on the affect it will have on people whose molecular structure is already unsound, or are able to actually SEPERATE from their body right? We don't want Jeremy WALKING!"
The twins walked in, assisting Maribel with hopes of getting closer to her. Upon which, making her uncomfortable as usual.
A nondescript technician wearing a containment suit wheeled in a cart filled with syringes. "The injections your about to receive will help the machine distinguish between your very unique molecular energy signatures. Your particular structure bares remarcable resemblance to that of Dr. Reed Richards. We expect similar results for you and Dr. Richards experiences no adverse effects." The tech tapped the first syringe and expelled any bubbles "To answer your other question, five, counting your group. Only the first experienced the... worst of the effects. We've worked out the bugs..." She ended her statement as if to add a "we think." to the end of her final statement but she only smiled brightly behind her tinted face shield and held up the syringe for Eliza's injection.
Waya rolled her eyes and down her glove, volunteering to be next for the injection. She was all about not getting turned in side out and if this shot was going to help prevent that she was defiantly going to allow it.
Eliza felt like making a joke about them at least buying her a drink before tearing him inside out... but decided to slap the twins instead, later, for a better reason. Instead she rolled up her sleeve and offered her arm "Good. but that Jeremy thing, are you sure you won't leave bits of him behind? Like his consciousness."
In a combination of wanting to get this over with and wanting to get away from the twins, Maribel hustled forward behind Waya. She was so nervous about this whole thing. Her knees still felt like jello ever since they had fallen out of the sky from space.
"Ya think our DNA will be alright?" Jayden asked.
"I'm not sure...I've been pondering that for a while now." replied Jaden "Mom's DNA can't be too different from a human's....otherwise she wouldn't be able to have half-ling kids."
"Yea, I guess. Still..."
"Oh come on- we've been through worse."
"What? We have not had worse done to us then being ripped inside out."
"Remember that time Waya caught us in her drawers?" Jaden pointed out.
"Oh- yea...we've definitely been through worse."
The process was over shortly and the group was ushered to the center of the room. James held the lawyer by the scruff of his neck, he'd tried to scoot out when the technician wheeled her cart out and sealed the door. The two suited individuals behind the glass gave them a thumbs up and a shield lowered over their window. A monitor counted down from 20 so they knew when exactly they where being transported.
Ceci est comme une micro-onde gigantesque... Maribel thought, shaking. How was everyone else so brave? Was this normal for them?! Why oh why didn't she stay in France?!
Jeremy put a hand on her shoulder gently, trying to smile down at her though he was quite nervous himself. "Hey... come on, it isn't too bad..." he was lying through his teeth, but oh well "We've got backup now..."
Maribel forced a smile. At least Jeremy seemed calm. The fact that he spoke of them having backup rather then the whole microwave they were sitting in made her feel a bit better. As the countdown got nearer to zero, she closed her eyes tightly and held up her hands, covering her ears.
The twins moved on either side of Waya, "You know...you can hold onto us if you are scared, blueberry."
"Don''t call me blueberry." waya said in her usual stoic manner. She wasn't very worried about the whole prospect of being turned in side out, she'd probably survive it any way. After all if she could survive nearly being turned into a Skrull she'd probably survive this.
The clock finally finished counting down and a moment later the room was filled with a brilliant white light. The sensation was very tingly but wether or not they where going to get turned in side out remained to be seen. asteroid-mMissing: </b>
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