Chapter 5
“Shame your little whatzit isn’t working.” Xavier said.
“Yeah, I could have had so much help…” Scott said, holding his wrist up “But Stark never made the damn thing waterproof… So it’s get the plane back or I’m stuck till he comes looking for me.”
Scott turned to the map on the wall in the conference room.
“So… It’s the United States and Canada in the east, The Gulf Alliance and what’s left of Mexico in the south, The Mojave Union and Alto Mexico in the southwest, the Cascadian Republic in the northwest and the Plains Confederation to the north. Have I got that right?”
“Pretty much” Xavier said
“Two sides of that junction are probably bone dry, the others swamps if not salt lakes” Scott said as he studied the map.
“You’d think, but the water at arrives at the junction point disappears.”
“And none of you have bothered to look?”
“We can’t.” Xavier said, “no one who goes anywhere near Old St. Louis comes back.”
“That doesn’t make any…” Scot began before face palming “You sent people there intentionally, didn’t you?’’
“Only convicts.”
“Right, and let me guess, I’m next.”
“Now why would we do that, you haven’t broken the law…” Xavier said, turning towards the window.
“I’ll take that as a joke and move on…” Scott said “What’s this about mutants you asked me?”
“Some of us are born with unique abilities.” Xavier said “For example”
Xavier turned and without moving his mouth at all
“I haven’t been using my voice.” Scott heard in his head.
“Well… telepathy… interesting…” Scott said, “Stay out of my head.”
“I will, I promise…”
“Ok…” Scott said, turning back to the map and pictures on the wall.
And waited…
“OH, FOR GOD SAKES!” Xavier yelled “That’s uncalled for.”
“So is lying to me.”
“I’m sorry. We didn’t know if we could trust you.”
“I will grant you that I just appeared out of nowhere, but I have been nothing but cooperative. So if you don’t mind… stay OUT of mine.”
“You would think even something like this wouldn’t cause that much of a division. On the show it was played up as an after effect of the box, drove people crazy, made the violent and egotistical. It didn’t whip out a city…”
“The walls are a mile high and project some sort of force field another five miles into the sky.”
“That still shouldn’t be enough…”
The door reopened to the room and Fury returned.
“The council wants to speak to him…” he said to Xavier.
Scott was led up to a large room.
There were ten people sat around in a circular layout.
“Welcome to our Earth” One said, who Scott recognized as Alexander Pierce.
“Thank you…” Scott said curtly.
“Something I said?” The man asked
“No… Let’s just say on my earth you have… a history with some friends of mine.”
“Well, I hope I could do something to convince you I’m different.”
“We’ll see… What do you fine folks want?”
“We’d like to ask you a few questions, If that’s alright?”
“I told Director Fury just about everything relevant.”
“You seem to have access to some extremely advanced technology, where do you get it?”
“What technology?”
“The small computer in your pocket, for example.”
“This?” He asked, pulling out his phone “$799 at the Queens Center Apple store.”
“It’s a consumer product?”
“What does this have to do with Stark or my plane or…”
“Absolutely nothing. We have a need for your technical skills.”
“My technical… Look, how about you do us both a favor and cut to the chase, so we can get this over with faster.”
“Well, alright, no need to be blunt about it…” Pierce said before looking at a guard “Bring it in.”
The guard stepped out into the hall and returned with a large rolling dolly. On top of which was one of the Iron Man suits that he’d seen from the plane.
“This is one of the Iron Legion, Mr. Stark’s mechanical troops. We want you to make it work for us…”
“So, an “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” kinda deal?”
“Not exactly,” Fury said, “this is a ‘You scratch our backs, we don’t’ shoot you in yours’ deal.”