xp_logs | Alcatraz: Russian Hill (1/5)

Ororo gets a rather alarming phone call. It's not the West Coast's year, it seems. She calls down the X-Man who's had the most experience in such situations - and puts him in charge.

The page had come as he'd been sitting in his (alarmingly neat and tidy) office in the mansion, the one he'd taken over for the purpose of holding office hours for his courses. Nathan had promptly put the Russian exercises away and headed down to the Situation Room. But when he got there and found only Ororo seated at the table, he frowned, wondering what precisely was going on.

"I didn't rush," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. She didn't look at all happy. "Is everyone else just slower than me today?"

"Slower, or perhaps less well-informed," Ororo told him, motioning for him to take a seat. "I have not yet contacted anyone else, as I thought it wisest to consult with you before doing so."

... with me in particular? Still frowning, Nathan sat down, giving her an assessing look. "What's going on?" he asked.

"There is a situation that has developed on the West Coast - Alcatraz, to be more specific. It seems that a terrorist has taken over the island." She passed him a very thin folder. "What makes it of note to us is that the terrorist is a mutant... and what makes it of note to you, specifically, is that he has in his possession a nuclear weapon."

Nathan stared at her for a moment. Occasionally, reflected a very cynical part of him, their lives were just slightly surreal. From marking to nuclear weapons in five minutes flat. Shaking his head, he opened the folder and skimmed the admittedly skimpy contents.

"It was Fred Duncan that got Cooper to call us?" Ororo nodded, and Nathan frowned. "Saidullayev... that sounds Chechen. What's a Chechen mutant terrorist doing threatening to blow up San Francisco and how did he get a nuke into the US... that was a rhetorical question, 'Ro," he said before she could answer. "I can see we don't have anything approaching the proper background here. I'm assuming that the briefing happens when we land. If I'm guessing right and they want our help."

"They do indeed," Ororo affirmed. "As you can see, Saidullayev is a telekinetic, hence why our involvement has been asked for. They have tried to address the situation, but thus far it has been unsuccessful. Beyond that, I do not know very much. We will know more when our team arrives, though I am loathe to send anyone in with such a lack of detail surrounding the situation."

"You've handled worse," Nathan said with a brief, lopsided smile. "I'm guessing we don't have a read on just how strong a teek he is just yet, either..."

"Mm, no. Nathan, you have had more experience in dealing with nuclear weapons than anyone else here at the mansion. I need for you to look at this situation and tell me if it is even feasible that it would have a good outcome." Ororo frowned, fingers worrying the corner of the folder.

"There's not enough information," Nathan said immediately. "I'm assuming he's not by himself, although if he's a strong enough telekinetic he could have dealt with their efforts to 'address the situation', I suppose." Now, there was an unpleasant thought. Nathan paused, shaking his head. "If he's good enough, he could make anyone who came after him drop dead of a stroke." You speak from personal experience after all, Nathan. "And a lot depends on this nuke, too. What type of device it is, its yield..." Something occurred to him, and he frowned. "More to the point, he's got to have an escape route."

"Yes, you are right, he must. He is not stupid, though he does seem mad." Ororo sighed and shook her head. "Without more information, I cannot justify sending a team in. But they will not release more information without a team. And I cannot imagine what sort of catastrophe may arise if we do not help..."

"It's just jet fuel, Ororo," Nathan said, very quietly, and knew that it was a lie. Just like he knew that if there was a crazy-ass telekinetic Chechen with a nuke wanting to take out yet another West Coast city, he was not going to be able to sit at home. "Look," he said more briskly, and waited until her eyes met his again. "If you want to get technical, this was the sort of thing I was trained for long before I ever heard of the X-Men. You could always just send me."

Did I just volunteer to go in alone? Moira would murder him if she'd just heard those words come out of his mouth. And Angelo would be right behind her. His smile was a bit awkward. "I have," he pointed out, "done things like this before." Although, another telekinetic and a nuke? You're never done that before, you lunatic.

"No. We are a team, Nathan, and I am not about to send a man who has just proven himself insane into that situation alone," Ororo replied immediately with a shake of her head. "I appreciate the thought, but it would not ease my mind any to know you were facing him without any backup."

Nathan shook his head a little, but didn't belabor the point. He might have been able to pull it off, but it probably would have involved killing everyone between him and the target. He wasn't prepared to be that 'efficient' anymore.

"A team, then. You're going to have to ask for volunteers," he pointed out. "Make it clear that you're not taking anyone to a potential ground zero without them being a hundred percent willing to take the risk." It would be redundant to point out that he would be the first of her volunteers.

"Yes, of course. Except that I will not be taking anybody anywhere." Ororo closed her eyes, obviously fighting some inner battle, though it was all over in a moment. "Nathan," she said when she opened them again, "I want you to lead this mission. I am asking you. And if you do not wish to, all you have to say is no. That is fine."

Nathan straightened in his chair, gray eyes very intent on her. There was absolutely no sign of shock in his expression, and his silence lasted only for a second or two. "All right," he said, then cracked a very small, humorless smile. "I can hardly say 'no, I'm not the man for the job' when I just got finished saying I'd done the job before and volunteering to do it alone, can I?"

"Having done it before and doing it again are two very different things." Despite his words Ororo felt no relief, only another type of grim dread. "But I think that if this mission is to succeed, it will need at least one person who knows exactly what the risks are."

Nathan glanced back down at the file. "We'll need to get out there ASAP, I think," he said quietly. "Let's call some of the others down. Not knowing precisely what we're heading into, I can't say conclusively who we need. But I think we can make a few educated guesses."