Log - Amanda, Kitty, Curt and Moira

[x-kitten.livejournal.com]

Around 4am New York time, Kit and Amanda meet with Curt at Muir. The resolution not to tell Moira about what's going on doesn't last very long, and some disturbing discoveries are made.



Curt sat silently for a long moment, looking through the papers Pete had compiled. Then he looked up at the two young women, his expression grave.

"I think," he said slowly. "That we need to talk to Moira."

Amanda blinked. "Is that a good idea? Given this is related to Kevin..." She trailled off, uncertain.

"All the more reason to get her involved," Curt said firmly. "Moira's the leading authority on mutagenics and the fact that the material involved comes from her son... She'll know better than anyone the potential uses of Kevin's DNA." He reached for the phone on his desk. "And she has the right to know."

Kitty considered Curt seriously for a few seconds as he started to dial, then nodded. "You're right," she said, voice serious. "It's... I'd like to protect her from this stuff, after the New Years fiasco and everything, but she's going to be the one who can really understand all of this, and we don't have the right to keep it from her to 'protect' her."

Curt glanced at Amanda, and the former witch nodded. "I'd want to know if it was me," she agreed at last, although her expression was still worried. She knew Kevin was a particular gaping wound for Moira. Hopefully the news her son's DNA was on the black market wouldn't be too much for her. Curt seemed about to say something when the phone was obviously picked up.

"Moira? It's me. Can you come to my office for a while? Amanda and Kitty are here and we really need your input. It's important." There was a pause as Moira replied and then he continued. "Thanks. We'll see you in a couple of minutes."

Putting the phone down, he looked at Kitty and Amanda again. "Moira's told me about that incident at New Years a while ago. You were both there, weren't you?"

Kitty nodded. "Yes. It was... messy. Beyond messy."

With a small shudder, Amanda agreed. "Scared the shite out of me, if we're being honest." She frowned. "You don't think this Von Strucker bloke's planning another reality-warper, do you?"

There was a brisk knock at the door before Curt could answer, announcing Moira's presence.

Sticking her head in, Moira glanced around at everyone before she entered. "I take it this isnae goin' ta be a fun conversation, is it?" she said, trying for light but not managing with the looks on everyone's faces. "Wha's goin' on?"

"Hey doc." Amanda gave her a small, wry smile. "'S a work visit, not a social call. And you're really not going to like what we've got for you."

Leaning over, Curt handed the papers to Moira. "It's better if you read it," he said softly, tilting his head slightly. "It's hard enough without getting all the facts at once and, well, we might not be able to convey everything properly."

Shooting them all a worried glance, Moira took the stack and started to flip through it. She froze a second later, hands suddenly clenching tightly. "This cannae be..." She stopped, though, and continued reading, the papers bunching underneath her fists.

When she looked up, all emotion had been stowed away under a cold expression.

"Pete turned it up in Hong Kong last year," Amanda told her quietly. "Whilst he was still with the Hellfire Club, so he couldn't chase it up then. Now he's got the resources and the time, he went and dug up what he could. We've tracked down the buyer - a Nazi war criminal type by the name of Von Strucker. Kit knows more of the details of him than I do." She glanced over at the other girl, nodding slightly.


Kitty nodded, sighing slightly. "Von Strucker's still in Germany, although he's distanced himself from the Nazis as much as it's possible. And the war criminal thing was never proved - people suspect, of course, but the guy is good at covering his tracks and we've really only been able to pull up rumors from back then, but the rumors are pretty gruesome if they're true, and I've no doubt that they are. At any rate, you undoubtedly know Strucker Medical Sciences - that's all legit, of course, and is where he got his money for his more... questionable side projects. Which is where you, and Kevin, come in. The guy's still a fucking Nazi at heart - obsessed with the idea of the ubermensch. Which, of course, is a dangerous idea in a world with mutation."

"When Joe was put up," Moira said, confused, "an' Essex disappeared, I thought this was all over. Th' poor boy who they experimented on died an' the research destroyed. I wasnae ever expectin' this... oh my God, I cannae believe this went on th' market." But she could believe because Kevin's had been a powerful mutation and it had gone to the highest bidder on the block. "I'll do whatever it is ye need me ta do..."

"Basically? We need to know what Kevin's DNA could be used for," Amanda explained. "Von Strucker's a mad fuck and he's got connections with all sorts of nasty people, from what we've found. It's pretty obvious he wants to continue the whole Nazi master race bullshit, but we're not sure how Kevin fits in with all this. A reality warper like the poor bastard from New Year's wouldn't be enough, so it has to be something different."

"Well, from what I've heard, the reality warping itself may not be useful per say," Curt started, shifting his horrified glance over to Moira as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"They were able ta play wit' th' boys genetics, so ta speak, splice Kevin's mutation onto his own. Now, th' genetics tha' was there originally lent itself ta th' procedure... it was a "blank slate" so ta speak. But...if they can use it ta mess wit' other people's genetics, make them inta what they want..." Moira looked pinched and bothered. "It would take a lot of trial an' error an' I'm nay sure it would work in th' end but people like tha' would still try."

"Strucker's into something else as well," Kitty said, hesitating slightly. "I don't know if it's relevant but... Well, the guy's past ninety. He's started doing some weird work, all of which seems stupid and impossible, but maybe he's got some twisted idea how to use this to get what he wants. Er, which is to live forever..."

"So, what, use Kevin's DNA like superglue to attach other mutant abilities to his own DNA?" Amanda asked.

Despite everything that they had been talking to, Moira still looked highly amused and Curt coughed to cover a quick laugh. "...kind o'," Moira said with a smile. "'Tis like he's tryin' ta build up his own genetics again, because everythin' is based off o' tha' an' if ye can give yerself new genetics an' go through th' process...instant new bodies in a way."

"Which would mean..." Amanda furrowed her brow, trying to figure this out. "He could live forever, in theory. Mad immortal Nazi bastard, with a gene splicing machine..." She looked at the other three. "Does that scare you lot as much as it scares me?"

"It makes me sick ta my stomach," Moira said hotly, pressing a hand to her eyes. When she pulled it away, her fingers felt wet. "Kevin was seven when he died an' innocent as ye could get. For his "legacy" ta be used like this..." She wanted to kill this man with her bare hands.

Kitty's eyes widened as possible implications started working through her mind. "We have got to let Pete and the others know," she said to Amanda.

Moira wasn't the only one who felt sick. Amanda's stomach twisted, watching the woman who she thought of in the privacy of her own mind as the mother she always wanted, going through this agony. And for what? "Give us what you've got on Kevin and his powers," she found herself saying far more firmly than she'd thought possible. "The others are working on finding this cunt. By the time we get back, they'll have an in." That Kitty had included herself in that statement pleased her, deep down. Kitty was a good person to have at your side. "We'll bring Kevin back, Moira. And take this bastard down. Hard."


Pushing back the disgust and terror in her mind, Moira reached out and put a hand on both of the girls' shoulders. "I'll give ye two anythin' ye need, complete access ta Kevin's records an' the incident reports from New Years," she responded. "Jus'... be careful but make sure this bastard doesnae get back up. Alright, let me go start makin' copies..."