Saturday afternoon | Terry and Ororo

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Ororo and Terry meet to monitor the newsfeeds and talk about various issues, including the bombings and Terry and Bobby's news.

Ororo wasn't particularly looking forward to watching the newsfeeds - few people would jump at the chance to watch coverage of the unthinkable violence that had been visited upon all those cities just the day before - but it was a necessary undertaking. As Scott had said, they needed to be doubly alert for the repercussions of the bombings as well as the threat of more to come, and she wasn't naive enough to think that a school full of mutant children wouldn't be on the list of potential targets.

The insomniacs of the mansion had the night shifts covered, which meant that thankfully it was just a little after noon that her shift began. Making her way downstairs, she wondered briefly if anyone else would be there watching with her. A flash of red hair over the top of one of the swiveling chairs was answer enough. "Good afternoon, Terry."

Terry's shift had started an hour early when she'd chased Mr. Haller out for lunch. "Hello, Ms. Munroe." Her teachers, the ones who knew her best, never asked her to call them by their first names. Only the new ones did that, who thought that it was a sign of equality and didn't know why it was important for the first step to be respect. "It's still quiet." Basically that was true. If you counted the same news being rehashed a hundred different ways quiet.

"Thank the goddess for small favors," the white-haired woman murmured, taking a seat in front of a bank of monitors. Scanning the headlines, she reassured herself that there had not been any startling new developments; at least, none that had been released to the general media yet. "At a time like this, it is impossible to know when to relax... when the coast will be clear," she mused aloud. "We cannot wait forever, but nor can we discount the possibility that whoever did this may only be biding their time."

"It's never just once," Terry said quietly. "They'll make demands and they won't be met and it'll happen again. And again until they're stopped or appeased. That's how it works, right? With terrorists or freedom fighters or whatever you want to call them?" They had attacked Elpis. Elpis where Nathan's friends worked. Elpis where Angelo had been. Elpis where Bobby could have been one day if they hadn't decided to move to Ireland. They hadn't talked about it since this all started. Maybe this was going to change his mind.

"Yes," Ororo agreed solemnly, nodding. "But until we know what it is they want, we cannot even begin to understand their motivations. Though I do not know if we could understand such wanton destruction." With a sigh she rested one elbow on the console, turning to look sideways at the younger woman. "It is a sobering view of the world and the people in it."

Terry frowned at something on one of the screens then looked up at Ororo, "But that's why we even do this. Because there are people out there like that and not all that many people equipped to stop them."

"That is true. And as Minister Barath said, one thing you can trust is that acts such as these will not stop good people from their work."

"Bobby's mentioned him." Though Terry couldn't honestly remember what he'd said. Her concerns tended to be smaller than the world theatre. She just wanted to make things safer, not save the world though they often ended up being the same thing. "It seems to me...to do something like this...you have to believe. Absolutely."

"Yes. If you do not, you do not last very long. It is a difficult line to walk, but once you see that the rewards are the well-being and safety of innocent people... it becomes a little easier." Glancing down, Ororo began to scroll through the acquired news stories that were being fed through the computer, skimming each one quickly. "And if you are not quite convinced, do not worry. It is not always something that comes all at once."

"Not us," Terry replied, her voice even quieter than before. She leaned forward and tapped the screen where the news was cycling through footage from the bombings yesterday. "Them. Even if they're mad, it's a madness they believe in."

Understanding dawned in Ororo's eyes. "And that makes them all the more dangerous," she agreed. She knew this wasn't the most reassuring thing to say, but Terry was a trainee now, plunged head-first into the world of terrorists and meaningless violence. She was going to have to come to terms with this sooner or later.

Terry nodded solemnly, "Aye, precisely." She wasn't looking for reassurance. Lies made her nervous. "You can't fight beliefs. They're...have you seen Dogma, Ms. Munroe?"

"Some time ago, yes," the older woman replied, curious to see the parallels Terry would draw between the movie and the current situation.

"They have that conversation about belief in it, you know? Beliefs are rigid, limiting. They prevent you from thinking clearly. That's the way these people believe. Which means there's no reasoning with them, whatever has their faith is absolute." It was pure speculation, of course, but Terry had grown up around a few fanatical believers.

"Faith can be shaken, beliefs can be changed. I would not assume that every fanatic will be that way until they day they die... even absolute faith can be challenged. But you are correct, they certainly are not thinking clearly, and reason will not work with them as it would against another, more rational foe."

"Break someone's belief and you either have an ally of the enemy of my enemy is my friend camp or a doubly-dangerous enemy against you," Terry shrugged, "I don't know, it's all just guess work until someone comes out for these attacks and claims responsibility."

"This is true. And it will come, in time." Ororo's eyes flicked over the monitors once more before turning back towards the redhead, her expression solemn but kind. "I am glad you have decided to stay with the team, Terry. You have a very good understanding of what goes on behind the scenes and what we are up against. That is the first and most important step towards being a successful member of the team. And an essential part of being a leader."

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Terry smiled, "This is important to me. I want to make it work. Mr. Summers...I think that he doesn't think that I'm going to last very long this way and that I'll have to pick."

"You cannot allow anyone else's expectations to color your decisions. I know that may be hard to do, sometimes, but the more you work at it the more achievable it will become. I am sure that no matter what you decide to do, you will give it your all." Ororo didn't want to question her best friend's motives, but nor did she want Terry to think that no one believed in her. "And as I said, I am glad you have chosen this as one of the things you would like to pursue."

"I haven't talked to Bobby since this started. I mean, sure I spoke to him but not talked. Not about all of this. It came up so fast after we'd talked to you both. We haven't even had a chance to meet with the Professor yet." Terry tilted her head back against the chair, "You never know, it might not be that easy to get rid of us after all. Not if Bobby thinks that Elpis needs him."

"You and Bobby are always welcome here, the both of you. Whatever your choice may be."

"This has been home for so long. For both of us." Intellectually, Terry knew that this is what you did. You grew up and you moved out. But for someone whose early life had been so entirely unstable, it was strange. Or maybe it was strange for everyone--how was she to know? "You've always been great, Ms. Munroe. Even when I was just a bratty kid."

This earned a slight chuckle from the headmistress. "It is only fair to do so, after I subjected my own brattiness on Charles and so many others around here." In a way, Ororo considered, her situation was not all so different from what Terry's had been, and she certainly understood the desire for stability. After all, she had come back to the mansion and settled there; she couldn't blame the younger woman for wanting the same. "But eventually we get past that, and find a myriad of opportunities awaiting us. Which seems to be exactly where you are now."

Terry smiled again, fondly. "I'll be okay as long as I have Bobby. I'm not worried."

And there was where the similarities ended and the differences began. But Ororo couldn't help but smile as well at the look on Terry's face, though she sobered once more as she turned back to the newsfeeds. "You are welcome to a break whenever you need one. I am here for the long haul."

Terry shook her head, also giving her attention back to the task at hand, "No, I'm good. This goes easier with two."

"Then I am glad you are here."