Zan Zar Zameen: Prelude to an Attack

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John and Sooraya are swept up as the madrasah launches an attack on the hospital.



It seemed that no matter what the country, no matter what the subject of study, teachers loved to talk. The only difference between Abdul Sabur Taraki and her teachers back at Xavier's Institute, Sooraya thought, was that this man's talk was not meant to inform or teach but to warp. Everything he said as he led both herself and John around the madrasah was tinged with hatred; he alternated between praising his own 'cause' and speaking ill of those who opposed him. It was enough to make her sick. It seemed Inspector Kane had not been wrong about that. The only question was how right he was. Did this man truly intend to follow a course of violence against those who he deemed enemy?

The man was an uncompromising militant; one who was intent on using violence to achieve his goals even. John kept his expression stoic though he praised Taraki for his ambitions and pretended to share a mutual interest in his ideologies in an attempt to gain his trust. They had been given a tour of the school earlier and was now having tea with Taraki and a few of his men.

"You seem to have an open door policy around here," John said. "But what sort of methods do you use to recruit students into the school?" It was an attempt to stir the conversation towards the mutant refugees living in the camps nearby. Taraki hadn't yet mentioned anything about the situation they were facing.

Taraki sipped delicately at his tea, his expression seemingly pleased at John's inquiry. "As you have said, we welcome all who would join us. To gather the like-minded to us we try to spread the message; anyone wise enough to see its truth deserves a place. However," he said, eyes narrowing, "those that cannot accept it shall not be tolerated. They work against us and all we try to accomplish for our people."

From her place at the back of the room Sooraya tried to keep from squirming uncomfortably, keeping her eyes downcast and her hands hidden in the folds of her burqa. The venom that had entered Taraki's voice as he spoke of 'those that cannot accept' was positively curdling, and her stomach redoubled its attempts to tie itself in knots.

"Anyone can see that what we offer is enlightenment - the unfortunate that find themselves in camps across the country should consider themselves lucky to be so chosen. They do not need to suffer anymore; this is the time of their salvation."

There were rumors that the madrasah had been involved with the attacks on the Canadians at the disaster relief hospital. Their objective had been clear and simple. They needed to gather information and relay it to Kane for him to decide on the next move. So far so good. John raised his eyebrows slightly, indicating his interest in what seemed to be the unravelling of a plan.

"Salvation?"

"The time for mutants to show their strength has come. No longer shall we be forced to accept a place that does not befit our status. Your master knows this," Taraki said with an approving nod, as if eager to show John how well-informed he was. "We only try to do our part."

John had been disillusioned by Magneto once. A lot of good that had done; he'd almost lost his life. He didn't quite like the fact that this was turning into a trip down memory lane, but it was obvious that Taraki had bought into their lies. He certainly seemed to think that they shared equal beliefs.

"And how exactly do you plan on achieving that?"

Taraki cast a glance around the room, exchanging looks with his men before focusing back on John. "We will show those who will not join us how strong we can be. When our strength is revealed others will have no choice but to accept that ours is the way to follow."

He shifted slightly in his seat. He wasn't sure how far he could push his luck but they needed the man to talk. If they could get some detailed information about the planned out attack on the camps, their work here would be more than done and they could get the hell out of the place.

"Well, it all sounds very interesting," John said.

"I am not surprised that you would say that, John. Your master, Magneto, has already demonstrated his own strength, and gathers others around him with the same goals and visions." It went unsaid that Taraki considered himself one such person. "And the time has come to show it." The man's smirk grew as he contemplated his plan again - not only would he be accomplishing his own goals, but with a lackey of Magneto's at the forefront their message would reach far and wide.

The young mutant glanced over at Sooraya as he leaned back in his seat. "So you keep saying."

"The camp nearby is full of nonbelievers - they will make a perfect target for our first statement." Though she didn't make a sound, a look of panic crossed Sooraya's face at the man's smugly casual way of mentioning the aid camp and his plans for it.

"John, join us. We can use your strength."

Shit. He hadn't expected the invitation, but was careful to mask his reaction as he contemplated the next move; they certainly hadn't been prepared for this. Taraki and his men seemed friendly enough but John didn't think they were going to be able to see the light of day tomorrow if he were to refuse...

"I'd be more than glad to help you out," he said. "After all, you were kind enough to let us into your school... to show us your ways. And despite our... different religious beliefs, I'm glad to find that we're not so unalike after all."

No! Sooraya wanted to cry, but she bit her lip and managed to stay silent as Taraki went on to explain how the mutants in the madrasah would be exacting their 'punishment' on the nonbelievers in the aid camp the next day. They had found out what they needed, yes, but plunged themselves into a much, much worse situation. She only hoped that John would be able to think of some way out of it, because otherwise it looked as though they would be on the front lines for carnage.

Jono and Garrison hear word of the attack, too far away to stop it.



"Well fuck." Kane said empathetically, drawing the bemused attention of a pair of men standing near them on the road, watering a small herd of horses. Garrison waved away the billows of steam rising from the engine of the car. It was not only overheated, but he was sure he had a leak somewhere. Regardless, they were going to be stuck here until it cooled off. He slammed the hood and walked over to the side of the car, where Jono was leaning.

"It's overheated at the very least. Piece of garbage. We're going to be here a while so it can cool down." Kane explained, annoyed since they were only ten minutes away from the hospital by car.

"Don't look at me, mate. I know as much about cars as I know about cryptic Russian spies, which is to say that they're much more trouble than they're worth." Jono shaded his eyes with one hand and looked into the distance. A strange feeling crosses his mind, and he closed his eyes to concentrate. "Something's gone wrong," he stated a second before a buzzing sounded from his jacket. He patted his pockets to find his cell phone, mentally cursing at the low power warning.

That didn't alarm him so much as the text message. "Buggering fuck!" he exclaimed, "The bloody hospital's under attack."

"Shit!" It would take at least an hour for Jono to reach the hospital, and even if Garrison carried him, his speed would only cut the time in half. 30 minutes was long enough for them to kill everyone there. Without the car, they didn't have a chance.

Unless...

"Jono," Garrison pointed at the two men, currently holding the reins of several horses each. "I need your help. Let's see if these two men want to buy a car!"

Jono followed Garrison's lead and walked over to the tribesmen. "Oi, um... honored wallahs or what have you," he projected, trusting in the Professor's language overlay to make the men believe they were hearing him speak in their native tongue. "What's the going rate for a pair of horses this afternoon, eh?"