Sangue Puro, part 1/2

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Prior to lifting off for Rio, Sam lets Scott know that he would prefer a supporting role in today's potential drama.


"You're sure about this?" Scott asked, shrugging into his leathers and eyeing Sam with a certain amount of well-hidden concern.

Sam nodded as he pulled on his own leathers. "Ah think ah'd be much better help monitoring coms from the 'Bird this time around," he said, steadily and firmly enough to let Scott know that he really had come to a decision that this was actually the best course of action. Which he had; he just didn't think that Scott would like his reasoning for it.

That was assuming, of course, that Scott didn't know perfectly well what it was already. His CO might not be a telepath, Sam reflected, but he sure did a good impression of one at times.

"Couldn't hurt to have someone with the plane just in case," Scott said slowly. He closed his eyes, swapping his glasses for his visor in one smooth and practiced move. Visor on, he eyed Sam closely. "This isn't about Haroun being on the team for this mission, is it?"

"No," Sam said, a bit more sharply than he intended. "Ah just think from the looks of it that ah'd be of limited use on the ground. And ah don't think that there'd be too much call for an aerial scout."

"We don't know that yet, Sam." Inwardly, Scott was more than a little dissatisfied by Sam's insistence. He knew that what had happened with Alison was still troubling him, and he wasn't about to force his XO into a tactical situation if he didn't feel like he was ready. That was a recipe for disaster. But he wasn't sure precisely what was going on in Sam's head, and he didn't like not being able to figure out a solution. Earl Grey for you when you get back, Scott thought, eyeing Sam narrowly. When in doubt, kick the problem up to Charles.

"Well," Sam said, trying to sound a bit more hearty, "if the situation changes, Haroun and ah'll both be right there." Scott was giving him one of Those Looks; Sam had figured out how to spot them, even with the visor in the way. It had something to do with the set of the older man's jaw at times like this. "Look, Scott, ah don't want to be letting you down," he said a bit awkwardly, "but ah just don't feel up to sailing into the middle of a hostage situation today."

Scott gazed at him for a moment longer, then nodded. "All right," he said, almost gently. "Thanks for being upfront about it."

"Well, ah try," Sam said, managing a slightly wan smile. Saying it right out like that hadn't made him feel good at all. He had to get this all settled in his head, he told himself stubbornly and finished pulling on his leathers. Had to, or he was going to screw things up again. And he wasn't going to let Scott, or the team, or anyone down again.

--


During the flight, Scott and Kylun discuss fanaticism, idealism, and pragmatism, and some of the combinations of the above.


He'd left Sam and Haroun the piloting duties, mostly because he was busy reviewing the intel file on this Sangue Puro group. "Fanatics," Scott muttered to himself. "Always the fanatics..." He looked up at Kylun, who seemed to be sitting out the flight quite peaceably - unlike Lorna and Nathan, who were doing coin-trick equivalents in the cargo hold because neither of them were apparently capable of sitting still. "So," he said, mustering up a faint smile. "Opinions on how strongly held ideologies affect situations like this?" There hadn't been much time for discussion at the briefing.

Kylun gave Scott a thoughtful look. "That depends entirely on how fanatical they truly are. We should certainly prepare for the possibility that they will kill their hostages and themselves rather than surrender--possibly that they will try to take us with them when they go. On the other end of the scale . . ." He smiled slightly. "I remember a time, one of my first forays--the branch of the cult we faced consisted of one true cultist and a number of young people who were looking in the wrong place for a taste of rebellion and excitement. When they found out they were expected to take part in human sacrifice, well . . . by the time we arrived, the leader had been subdued and restrained, the prospective victim had been released, and there was very little left for us to do." He sighed. "I do not think we will be so lucky this time."

"Unfortunately no." Scott paused, then waved Kylun over. "I keep going over and over this," he said, calling the timeline of Sangue Puro's various terrorist incidents up on the screen so that the other man can see. "They're well-organized," Scott said, more for the sake of reiterating it aloud than anything else; he and Kylun had both heard this at the briefing. "Cell set-up, and secure, too; the Brazilian intelligence service hasn't been having much luck. Operationally speaking... they're a little less successful." Ironic to say that, given that four of Sangue Puro's operations had involved significant civilian death, but yet, they'd also wound up with a number of the terrorists involved in prison, hadn't they? "That was one of their chief demands, according to what Charles' friend in the Brazilian government told him. The release of their 'comrades' from prison." That piece of news hadn't come in until they were already in the air.

"Their strategy is good, but their tactics are brutal. Like a man who has bees in his house, who closes all his windows but then goes out to smash the nest with a sledgehammer." Kylun frowned, studying the screen. "I think . . . the ultimate leader of Sangue Puro is very intelligent, but the very structure that protects his identity limits his ability to control his underlings, and those underlings do not share his intelligence. That will make them less predictable. They may react cleverly, if their leader has had the opportunity to instruct them; they may lash out, if they have had no instructions and think they have been abandoned." He shook his head. "Intelligent foes may be reasoned with, and stupid ones tricked; this uncertain half-and-half measure is not to my liking. We will need to be very swift, I think, and just as flexible in our approach."

Nodding at Kylun's analysis, Scott summoned up a very small smile. "Fast and creative," he said. "I can get behind that." He sighed, leaning back and telling himself to stay as relaxed as possible. He couldn't ride the adrenalin all night. "Technically, we're going down there to provide assistance in case any of the mutant kids inside the school should lose control of their powers. It's a pretext, though - Charles is already working on arranging things so that we can go in if it comes to that." He chuckled very softly. "For an idealist, he has a very pragmatic view on situations like this. And groups like this one... offend him, I think."

Kylun snorted. "They certainly offend me. I was glad to be selected for this mission." He tilted his head, watching Scott. "I know as well as any, I think, how much of the leader's job consists of worry, but you have prepared us well." He gestured to the screen. "Better, in some ways, than I was ever able to prepare those I led. There comes a time when you must simply trust yourself enough to let go." Smiling wryly, he added "Or fret until we arrive, of course. That is always the other choice."

"Ah, but if I let go I couldn't work on my ulcer, could I?" was Scott's only half-joking reply. "And I'm making such good progress." He shook his head, calling up the file on the school itself. News items about the 'integrated' program, even some interviews with specific students... "Is this what happens to schools that try to do the right thing if they don't have security protocols coming out of their ears like we do?" he asked with a sigh. "I remember reading about St. Isabel's last fall when they started this program...."

"If you make too much of a pet of that ulcer, your turtle will be jealous," Kylun pointed out. He scanned the file, shaking his head. "I wish I knew the answer to that question. Perhaps we can only be the answer."

Scott blinked, and then surprised himself with a sudden smile. Not precisely a relaxed one, but definitely an appreciative one. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I guess that's exactly what we can and should be, isn't it?"

—


On site, Scott meets the police captain in charge, and finds out that he's dealing with a pragmatic man - and a situation worse than he expected.


It was raining steadily. Heavily enough that there was a definite gloom over the city, even here at the perimeter of the police barricades around Saint Isabel's where there were enough emergency vehicles on-scene already that the amount of flashing colored lights would be enough to give epileptics fits.

"So what you're telling me," Scott said to the senior officer in charge, shrugging irritably in his damp leathers - they were safely under a quickly erected tent serving as the command post here at the edge of the school's sprawling grounds, but he had gotten good and soaked already, "is that things are worse than we were told. In a nutshell."

Joao Cardoso nodded, his expression grim. He had introduced himself as soon as Scott and the rest of the team had arrived, and had been nothing but cooperative, if noticeably stressed. "One of the students had a cell phone," he said. "He managed to send a text message. Apparently these bastardos are not planning to let the mutants among their hostages go even if my government were to go mad and agree to their demands."

"I suppose we should have expected something like this," Scott said, managing to keep his voice absolutely neutral. Some of Cardoso's officers weren't quite as blase about having foreign mutants show up to help them with their hostage situation. He was being watched very closely, and thus needed to come off as professionally as possible. "Are you still in contact with this student?"

"Nao," Cardoso said, looking more grim at the admission. "We received only the one message." He paused for a moment. "'Help, they intend to kill my mutant friends'," he quoted more softly, pure rage in his dark eyes for a moment before he wrestled his expression back under control. "My apologies," he said. "I attended Saint Isabel's, and consulted with them on security matters when they began this new program."

Personal involvement wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes it just meant that you were properly motivated. "Captain," Scott said after a moment, taking a deep breath. "I think this is where I ask you if you might not like our help for more than just dealing with panicking mutant kids."

Cardoso eyed him, briefly. "Your people are experienced in such things?" he asked quietly, his voice low enough that even in the crowded command post, Scott was the only one likely to hear him. "When I received the call from the defense ministry informing me you were coming, the caller hinted that your team had worked with the American government from time to time."

"We have," Scott said, meeting Cardoso's steady gaze. "Successfully. And the people I brought with me today have talents that are very much suited to this sort of situation."

Cardoso gazed at him for a moment longer. "I must make another phone call," he said quietly. "Merely to verify. Perhaps while I am doing that, you would care to look at the blueprints of the school?" He gestured over at a table where another officer and a civilian, maybe a staff member at the school, were laying said blueprints out.

Scott nodded. "Thank you," he said softly, thanking whatever deity there was that they'd apparently encountered a sensible man in the captain. Hopefully Charles was still working his contacts in the Brazilian government, and between that and Cardoso's recommendations...

Scott shook his head and moved quickly to the table. Time to focus now.

--


Haroun and Scott look over the blueprints of the school and come up with a plan, to which Scott adds a last-minute and possibly inspired twist.


Haroun bent over the faded blueprint to study it a little more closely. Scott, at his side, nudged him so that he too could get a good look. "Sorry." he muttered and shifted to give Scott a better view. "Rain's going to complicate things." Haroun commented. "As soon as Cable and Polaris get a fix on the tangos, we can make up a plan of attack."

Scott, rather than responding, picked up a pen and started marking little X's on the blueprints. "Library," he said, listening to Nathan's voice murmuring at the back of his mind. "They've herded most of the kids into the library, apparently... people stationed out here in the surrounding corridors, too." More X's. "Okay," Scott said, a bit wryly. "This is actually very handy."

"OK, they were dumb enough to bunch up, that makers things easier. Since a nonphysical take down is out, we'll have to do this the hard way. According to the plans here, there's three ways into and out of the library. Hallways here and here, and windows here." Haroun said, making each spiot with a damp forefinger. "We've already got snipers covering the windows, but we can't get a good angle to reach out and touch someone." he smirked.

"We need to get Polaris and Cable into the library as quickly as possible," Scott said. Cardoso gave him a questioning look, and he explained. "Both of them can take care of any incidental gunfire. And since we can't guarantee a quick enough entrance to take the ones inside the library down without it, we need the two in there who can shield the kids fast if need be." Scott stared at the blueprints. "Down from the roof," he said, then smiled very tightly at Haroun. "Some of us can fly. Enough of us to assist those of us who can't." ~I wonder if Nate can manage telekinetic ziplines,~ he subvocalized to Haroun.

~Shouldn't be that difficult.~ he subvocalized back. ~Weight is well within his tolerances.~ "Agreed. We hit from the roof, enter through the windows here. Locals hit through the corridor entrances here and here. We time this right, they'll never know what hit them. We may also be able to disorient and confuse the targets, get their guns pointing away from the kids."

"Polaris and Cable can give us some flying furniture," Scott said. "Jetstream, you and I could both manage something of a lightshow if we had to." ~And like most bad guys, they'll be too busy gaping at Kylun's swords to react before he's on top of them.~

Haroun nodded. "Tac coordination's going to be tricky. We need to get the ground people in position and ready to go without being noticed. Once they're in place, we get into position ourselves, then we give the go-code."

Scott looked up at the sky at the distant rumble of thunder. "The rain will actually work to our advantage on that," he said, and then turned back to Cardoso, giving him a few quiet suggestions. ~Polaris, Cable, Kylun, regroup back here at the command post if you're done eyeballing the building,~ he subvocalized as Cardoso gave him a tight smile and a nod before moving away to start giving orders to his men.

Haroun nodded once again as he looked over the blueprints once again. "It's a good plan." he said quietly. "Biggest problems I can see are panicking children and itchy trigger fingers." he commented before the rest of the team arrived. "Cable and I can pass for human easily. Polaris and yourslef, less so. Kylun will present the most problems. Any chance Cable could calm the kids down?"

"We won't know unless we ask," Scott said, biting his lip as he gazed down at the blueprints again. "So, Mr. Precision Flyer," he said suddenly. "Any chance, if Cable or Polaris, blows the windows for you and gives you a shield, that you could go in one window, down the hall, and out the other?" He looked up at Haroun, finger tapping the hallway in question on the blueprint. "Get them looking the wrong way?"

Haroun looked at the blueprints and thought about it. "How big are the windows? Assuming that I can physically fit through them, then yeah, I can do that. Assuming that they don't see me bust in and start shooting children."

Scott stared blankly at the blueprint for a minute. "Damn. I'm a idiot," he said, then smiled, very slightly. "The roof," he said, tapping the blueprint again. "There's more than the three obvious ways into the library. For us, at least." ~Cable, Polaris, hurry it up. Job for you.~

Haroun frowned as he looked at the blueprints. "Blow a hole from the roof down?" he guessed. "Messy and dangerous. Lots of debris."

Scott shook his head. "What, you think they'd put all those finesse exercises to waste?" Scott leafed through the other blueprints rapidly. "Steel beams in the roof. Polaris can peel them right back, and Cable can move the debris in directions other than down." He shook his head. Like a variant on scenario 567B, he thought. Funny how that worked out. "If they shield as they're doing it... they'd be drawing any fire upwards, towards them."

"I still think it's risky." he said. "But assuming we can contain the damage, it's solid. But that's a mighty big if. Your call." he said quietly. "And you get to pay the Brazilians back for the structural damage to the school."

"We won't do it unless they're sure they can manage it. And it gets both of them into line-of-sight immediately, to shield the kids, as well as draws attention away from us and the police making our entrance in a more conventional way." Scott looked up at Haroun. "And a hole in the roof is a small price to pay for minimizing the chances of dead children."

"You don't have to sell me, it's your op. Gotta sell the locals." he commented. "Any chance we could get some flashbangs? Would help in creating that nice WTF feeling we want."

"We seem to have a fully equipped SWAT team hanging around with us here," Scott said. "I'm sure they'd be willing to share."

"It's always good to ask. And since my Portuguese sucks, I'll get Cable to make the request." he said with a grin.

--


Meanwhile, Nathan and Lorna scout the building with the help of their powers. The parallels to another situation in the not-too-distant past are hard to ignore.


"Hurray for the rain," Nathan murmured, standing on the edge of the roof of one of the school's outbuildings. He and Lorna had been looking for a good vantage point, and one of the school's caretakers, who'd been asked to hang around the command post for his knowledge of the details of the school's layout, had suggested this. It worked quite well, Nathan reflected, staring at the school. "Damn, this is a lot of psychic interference. Too many scared kids. You having any luck?"

Lorna had her eyes closed and her gloves off, flexing her fingers slowly, "I think so, unless the kids have grabbed hold of high powered artillery and we don't know about it." She pointed down toward one of the clumps of metal she was feeling, "Where is that?" She opened her eyes slowly so that her concentration wouldn't break. It was harder to focus beyond the building's structure with her eyes open but she couldn't exactly go through the whole mission with her eyes closed.

Nathan looked at her, then back at the school. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus in on one of the children. "... library," he murmured at the brief flash of imagery. "I think they're in the library." He sighed. "Fuck. Would make sense, though, from the look I got at the blueprints. Top floor, minimal windows..."

Lorna shuddered. "Shades of…" she didn't finish and wriggled her fingers instead, "I'm counting…6? Can't tell you from this distance if there are more guys in there without guns." She pulled her gloves back on and shivered. "Damn this rain, I'm freezing."

Nathan looked down at her, raising an eyebrow at the reminder. "Thank you, I had actually been successfully managing to avoid making that mental association." He turned his attention back to the school, his jaw clenching. "There's something wrong," he said. "With them, I mean - the hostage-takers. I think they must have taken stimulants of some variety, to keep themselves alert. Their mental patterns are... erratic." There was no way, he realized, that he could even fog their minds, let alone convince them to march quietly out of the school and lay down their arms. Too much risk, with their thoughts in a state like that, of slipping and provoking unexpected gunfire.

"Sorry." She closed her eyes again to refocus on the guns. "I could pull the guns from them at this distance but I'm worried about hair triggers. Get me closer and I can jam them, I think."

"Updating Cyclops on what we've pinned down in terms of their positions," Nathan said, even as he simultaneously did so. "I think there's a plan brewing in that brain of his already. He's got the blueprints of the school."

Lorna took a steadying breath, "I hope he makes it quick. I can't stop them if they decide to start spraying bullets." Just the thought made her slightly queasy. Deliberately she shoved it out of her mind and continued to search the building, testing the structure as she went along.

Nathan focused on listening in to Scott's conversation with Haroun and the SWAT lieutenant, even as he tried harder to pick up what he could from within the school. Scott's order to regroup at the command post came, and Nathan shrugged, stepping lightly off the roof and floating back to the ground. "You and I can both catch bullets if we have to," he pointed out.

Lorna opened her eyes when she realized Nathan was moving and followed him a moment later. "I'd rather not take the chance of missing one if it's all the same to you," she responded dryly, nerves making her snappish. Missions were so much easier when there weren't children involved. The comparison she'd made earlier wasn't helping either.

Nathan extended a soothing thought to her - not actually touching her mind, just offering the reassurance. "We've trained together for this sort of thing," he pointed out. "Well, not this in particular, but skills that can be applied to this situation fairly easily. We can handle whatever Scott decides to ask of us."

~Polaris, Cable, hurry it up. Job for you,~ Scott told them.

Nathan paused. "Oh-ho," he said with some fascination, picking up on the thought behind it, since he already had the basic mindnet for his switchboard set up. "Very nice." He started at a quicker pace towards the command post, flashing the images to Lorna telepathically. #He wants us to go in through the roof. Peel it back, draw their fire - and be right there in line-of-sight to shield the kids. I can go for that.#

Lorna stared at them then back at the building. "Oh…well, yeah, that'll work. The roof is actually really vulnerable," she offered him a mental picture of the building the way she saw it, glowing with green EM fields, "just gotta lift it off." She smiled just a bit. Scott's brain was marvelous.

"You know what this means?" Nathan grinned shamelessly at her. "Justifiable property damage. Woo-hah." A little crazed banter to lighten up situations like this was almost always what was called for.

"Demolition for Justice. I can get behind that. Now Scott can't complain when I throw the Danger Room walls around." She let herself be amused and laughed just a little, pretending the sound wasn't strained. "Now if it would just stop raining. Be honest, does my hair look like hell?"