xp_logs | Fiddler's Green: Loose Ends

The relative quiet of the aftermath of the Wyoming mission is broken when Jean and Moira receive a request from SHIELD. When Nathan finds out what it involves, keeping him in bed is no longer an option.

The voices weren't particularly loud, but there was a curious intensity to their tone that made Nathan wonder sleepily exactly what was so important. Surely it couldn't be anything too significant. After all, everything was done, right? Now was the time for resting and recuperating, as they kept trying to convince him, and... wait. His eyes snapped open and he stared up at the ceiling of his infirmary room, ignoring the way his vision blurred in and out. He was much more interesting in listening. Because that was Jean and Moira somewhere in the hallway outside his door, and what they were talking about was definitely - oh hell no.

The voices fell abruptly silent as both redheads sensed his reaction - Moira through their link, Jean of her own accord - but Nathan still sat up, swallowing at the wave of dizziness that went over him as he slid out of bed and tottered a little as he came to his feet. His ribs protested indignantly at the too-rapid movement, and he winced, beads of sweat standing out on his forehead as he tried to straighten.

"I heard that," he called gruffly, shuffling slowly towards the door. Goddamned hospital gowns, he thought in irritation, trying to straighten his and giving up in frustration. Oh, well. It wasn't anything either of them hadn't see before. "Moira? I heard that."

"Aye, ye did, did ye?" Nathan's own redhead actually swung the door open and scowled at him. "Well, ye can keep hearin' all the way back to yer bed, too."

"Dream on, MacTaggart," he growled, blinking at her. The growl was covering some actual distress, however, and he couldn't quite keep it from slipping free and onto the link. "I heard SHIELD, you, and Taygetos put together into one sentence and I want to know what's going on. Please?" It did come out sounding like a plea. He wasn't above that.

"It wasnae like we weren't goin' ta tell ye eventually," Moira responded tartly, though when she touched his elbow to try and lead him back to the bed, it was gentle. "But, aye, I've just had a nice chat with that Fury fellow. Lovely lad, if a bit too much at times. SHIELD's requested that Jean and I do a bit of consulting work for them." She nodded at Jean over her shoulder to keep going as she tried to get Nathan to actually sit before he fell over.

Jean sighed in exasperation. He was supposed to be unconscious. This was going to be so much harder with him awake, she could just tell. He had that look about him. And somehow she didn't think 'put your ass back on that bed, Nathan, or I put it there for you' was going to cut it. "It's just a quick trip up to California for Moira and I and maybe a few others... No need to worry, she'll be fine."

"A quick Taygetos-related trip," Nathan said, and a wheezing laugh escaped him before he could help it. "No such thing. Living example over here. Especially when SHIELD's involved. They called me to come consult too, remember? And things did not go well." Which was the understatement of the century. "What did they want?"

Moira eyed him warily and then sighed. "There's nay gettin' him ta leave this alone now," she told Jean and shook her head. "They've found a hidden Taygetos facility in Northern California and they've asked Jean and myself to come because..." She took a deep breath and for a moment, looked disturbed. "Nate, they found babies there. They think they've been genetically tampered with."

It was a good thing she had managed to steer him nearly all the way back to the bed, because he sat down hard at that, only barely managing to land on the edge of the bed instead of the floor. He stared at Moira and Jean, his mouth opening and closing for a moment before his still somewhat-befuddled brain kicked in.

"... I'm coming." He could see both of them formulating objections, and went on almost angrily. "No. I'm coming. I can, I can help assess their conditioning-" Babies with conditioning. Knowing intellectually that all of the young operatives they'd freed on Monday had been babies with conditioning was one thing. Knowing there were more out there, right now... Nathan abruptly wondered if his brain was going to explode. It felt like it.

"Telepath who's not been beaten half to death standing right over here, Nate," Jean said, scowling. "You need to rest, seriously. I wasn't kidding this time about tying you to the bed for the next month."

"I'm fine!" The reply was a little more violent than he'd intended. Moira was giving him one of those looks, and he focused on her, almost desperately. "I know why they want you," he said, almost under his breath. Willing her to understand. "I know, Moira, but I can't not go with you. You know what these people have done."

"I know what they've done but we'll be surrounded by SHIELD agents. Very armed, very annoyed SHIELD agents." There was panic on the link and Moira tried to shut her mind against it, tried to ignore it. Because she couldn't let herself get emotional - she'd been called in as a scientist and had to act like one. "Ye can barely stand, let alone go with us."

"Bullshit, I went off to Wyoming and I've had a whole day's rest since then." Wait, no. "Two!" he corrected himself, more fiercely. "Besides, Amelia's got really good drugs. Have her shoot me up again. Worked last time." They were looking seriously unconvinced. Nathan set his jaw. "I'm coming," he said, in his best 'I am a hardass, watch me prove it' voice. "You can leave without me but I'll just fly after you. Watch me."