On the top deck of the helicarrier I went into one of the quinjet's that they assigned me thinking I'd be the one piloting it until I found agent Coulson in the cockpit, "Sir, I didn't think I'd see you here. Has my mission changed?"
The hull of the quinjet closed behind me, "take a seat agent. I'll be the one taking you to the school."
I sat in the co-pilot seat, "then will you be assisting me for the negotiations?"
"Spot on agent, don't take it personally but it's rather absurd to have an underaged soldier pitching an idea to the X-men about helping SHIELD save the world. Keep this off the record kid but Fury tends to forget that you are a kid at the end of the day." He said, sighing.
Over the year of working with SHIELD I usually bickered with Coulson on this topic. I argued that there wasn't anything childlike about me, if anything he should be encouraging me to stand up and take down HYDRA. Coulson would agree at first then would bring me toys or candy, little things a child would like. I ate the candy tho, but everything else I kept in my room. Once I came back from a military operation I'd look at the stuffed teddy bear he gifted me and with everything else that felt off, threw them in a box; it reminded me of what I lost. However, everytime I'd leave for the next mission I'd place them on my desk in case he'd check my room.
"I think I can handle a guy in a wheelchair." I said after a moment.
He sighed again this time with a tired expression, "you're being stubborn. Did you not read my notes in the mission report?" I put my feet on the dashboard of the quinjet to get comfortable, "Of course I did, I'm responsible. Did you forget I can resist his mind control ability."
"It's called telepathy. Feet off the dashboard, how many times do I have to tell you that you're making it harder for the cleaners." Coulson said in a stern fatherly voice.
I took them off and with a little spit on my hand wiped off the boot marks, "you can pay me their salary now."
"Now your germs are all over it." he said. I huffed, "no one's perfect, Coulson." Emphasising his name.
Coulson drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, "look kid, I don't expect a great pitch from you to the X-men" I did a long whistle, "WOW, thanks boss." He continued, "you know that's not what I meant. Fury plans for the X-men to be a team he can control and order. My opinion on the matter is that a group that has moved under their own moral compass specifically for Mutant benefits is not going to work under SHIELD."
"So the director of the greatest intelligence agency has sent me to fail without knowing." I replied with disbelief in his argument.
"Yes, that's why I decided to come," he said. "To watch me fail?" I responded. Coulson put the quinjet on autopilot to look at me, "no. I came to assure him that this was impossible, at most we could come to an agreement to work together on tasks that involve both parties."
He waited a moment thinking of what to say, "I also want to see the place. I want you to give it a chance."
I laughed sarcastically, "so we're back to this conversation then? How many times do I need to make it clear that the only school I'd be interested in, is the one that tells me how to find HYDRA."
"You'll be around–" I cut him off, "Mutants!? Just say you want me away from SHIELD's core command center on the off chance my genetic code will interfere with my work."
"I meant to say teenagers! No one in SHIELD sees you as a danger. 626? That's not a name, I for one don't believe that horse shit you give Clint on finding a name that fits. I firmly believe you still see yourself as 626, experiment of HYDRA. For christ sake kid am I not the one who always supports you, it wasn't Fury but me we got those scientists to work exclusively on your expensive suit. Look at me and tell me you see an enemy! Well, do you?" He said in a stern voice.
"No." Was all I said. After that he turned around to pilot the quinjet in silence. We started to descend and landed on a patch of grass behind the school far enough not to cause a distribution. I pressed a button to open the back of the quinjet and stood up from my seat to leave while Coulson finished turning it off, "I'm sorry." I said as I walked away.
Outside I saw the students of the place walking around their huge backyard, some playing at their tennis courts others sitting around. The commotion of the quinjet earned a couple of their gazes but the majority must have known we'd come. While I waited for Coulson to leave the plane I could see two figures moving in the distance to come greet us. When they got closure I noticed where I'd seen them before. I knew the majority of mutants here due to the dossiers SHIELD gave me to read but these two were at the HYDRA base, Logan and Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, although simply referred to as Beast by SHIELD.
"I thought I'd see his blue fur at the school. Perhaps he prefers to speak with us without fur." said Coulson behind me.
We walked together to meet them half-way, Logan spoke first after an exchange of handshakes, "we thought the kid was going to be the only one here."
"Change of plans, hope that isn't an inconvenience." Coulson responded.
Beast spoke as he guided us into the school, "none at all, and please call me Hank, what's your name again kid?"
"626" I said not caring for their strange glances.
Hank talked about how many children were here and how the professor had helped them find a place to call home. That he hoped we'd could see for ourselves that there wasn't much difference from this school to any other in the country. As we walked past the mutants in the backyard and entered the mansion of the professor, Hank spoke to me, "do you wish to see how the place works?"
"I'd rather get the talks over with–", Coulson interrupted me. "A tour of the famous school for gifted children would be wonderful, please after you." He smiled at me daring me to refuse in front of the people we wanted to get on our side.
"This way then." said Logan, confused at seeing that the normal human was the one eager to see the place.
They guided us across the mansion showing the dorms where the kids slept, a large kitchen, various places to lounge around, then they brought us inside a classroom where a class was being held on history. The teacher was a blue skinned lady that every mutant knew, 'the hero', Mystique.
"Sorry to interrupt Raven, we were just showing our guest, well now guests around." I noted the way he spoke about me, however I think it slipped by Coulson.
"Oh, well why don't you sit down. We're almost done with class, it's only about ten minutes until the school day ends." She said.
I was about to say no when Coulson gripped my shoulder, "he'd love to. After all this is an exchange of world views isn't that right kid?"
"Right…a shared history." I said annoyed.
"Then if you could sit right next to Rogue where…theres an empty seat." she said the last part awkwardly.
I gave one last annoyed look at Coulson before seating down. Raven continued the class when Hank guided Coulson down the hall. About a minute into the lecture and I tuned out, my mind wandered to la la land when a finger poked me. My eyes followed to who's finger it was, it wasn't until then that I recalled who the girl was. She still had the same white streak of hair in her black hair while wearing a green sweater, black pants and black gloves.
"Remember me?" she said.
"Rogue right?" I answered.
The side of her lips raised a little, "not my name, but where you last saw me."
"It's hard to forget the base." I said. Rogue smiled, "ya…I just wanted to thank you, I never got to before. And well, you never came either despite the numerous invitations."
"I was busy." I responded while returning to the boring lecture in front of me.
Rogue spoke again, "is it true then, that they use you as a soldier in their wars?"
"The same as the X-men." I said and the bell rang. I got up to go wherever Coulson went to in this huge mansion. Rogue grabbed my arm with force and I snapped my head to look at her for the sudden invasion of personal space, "sorry hun, I just, can I touch–see you later I mean."
I unhooked her hand feeling uncomfortable by the plea in her eyes, "I'm only here to complete a mission." And left to find Coulson.
In the hallways I was astonished by the large amounts of students that filled the halls. I fought my way giving spare glances to the rooms hoping to find Coulson.
"You came!" A cheerful voice said behind me, prompting me to look and got caught off guard when they gave me a quick hug. It was the redhead, Jean. "After calling for an entire year, it only took peace talks to get you." She laughed at her own joke.
"Um, did you take a tour of the school already? I could show you." Jean said, "Hank did–" She grabbed my hand, "then it doesn't count."
She brought me to the entrance of the school where a group of teenagers our age gathered, rouge was there too. I recognized a couple of them, Cyclops, Kurt aka nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, Bobby aka Iceman.
Jean spoke, "guess who finally made it, oh and these four are Pyro, just call him that or he'll hate you, Jubilee, Emma and Blink."
I nodded and didn't say anything else, instead looking around the entrance for Coulson.
Emma interrupted my train of thought, "then is he coming with?"
Kurt spoke in a hurry, "let's make it quick, it's about to start."
Bobby's arm crossed my shoulder as he gave me a side hug, "of course he is. We owe him a favour. Blink, do your thing."
Before I could ask what they meant a pinkish or purplish energy surrounded us and we popped out in an ally. "What the fuck." I stated. Jean grabbed my hand again, the grouped eyed the touch of skin, a few had an irritated expression. "I have a mission to do could you please–"
"Stop being such a sourpuss. Kurt! Lead the way!" She retorted.
"Aye, aye, captain." And teleported a couple of us at a time rapidly across various cinema auditoriums until he found the screening for the movie they planned to watch.
It's going to be a long day I thought. "Did you guys even buy tickets?"
"Relax officer. Put down the badge for the day and find a seat in this empty room that your corporate overlords didn't manage to fill." Said Bobby with a joyful laugh as he put an arm around Kitty to find two seats for themselves. I noted however that Rogue gave them an odd look before making eye contact with me.
"Alright then, couples find their own room." Jean said. Cyclops made a move to get close with Jean until she spoke with a voice filled with spite, "aren't you going with Emma?"
Cyclops opened his mouth half-way until Jean pulled me to the back where Kurt, Jubilee, Blink sat; Rogue followed us. Although from the back of my head I felt two eyes wanting to burn a hole in them. I sat between Jean and Rogue watching the pre-trailers play before the movie. On my right however I felt an aura of anger in Jean. I just wanna go home.