Garrison & Jean-Paul, Wednesday Afternoon
Dec. 15th, 2010 01:31 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsGarrison stops by to drop off a letter from Lil to Jean-Paul and they wind up discussing Alpha Flight and the future of Beta Flight. Unexpected assistance is offered.
It wasn't the place that he wanted to be in general, but the reality was that some things had to be done. Garrison shook his head, as if trying to dislodge the sour thoughts camped in his head. He'd made a promise, and it was his own fault for agreeing to it. With a deep breath, he knocked on Jean-Paul's door.
"Oui?" Jean-Paul was packing up the last of his books in a box to carry over to Kevin's suite. He answered the door a moment after speaking, a cookbook held under one arm and a well-thumbed copy of Romeo and Juliet in hand. "Ah. Kane."
"Yes, ah, Kane." Garrison said, with a wry twist. "I see you're nearly done moving."
"Oui, most of my things are in the city now, though Kevin said he did not mind the books, so he will keep them for me." Jean-Paul raised an eyebrow. "You have news of Lil?" He sincerely doubted that the other man had turned up just to say 'hello.'
Garrison reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. It had come as part of a larger package from Heather. "Here. Lil sent this down through Heather for you."
Taking this envelope after a bit of shuffling where the cookbook and play were concerned, Jean-Paul nodded his thanks. "Merci," he said, though he didn't open it immediately. Rather, he quirked his head just slightly to the side and asked, "Why are you playing the messenger?"
"There's... complications in Canada. Heather thought it was easiest to send it to me with her usual pack of notes." Kane's eyes gave nothing away.
"Complications?" Jean-Paul asked the question despite himself, not concerned precisely, but almost proprietorially interested. He almost wished he could take it back. Instead, he followed it up with, "What kind of complications?"
"Do you actually care?" For once, the question was without anger or scorn in his voice. More surprise than anything. Jean-Paul's break with the team had been an unbroachable subject for so long, that even their last meeting hadn't cleared away all the assumptions.
Jean-Paul frowned just a bit. "I would not ask if I did not. What are these complications?"
"The political situation is getting worse. Department H just barely fought off an audit, and Colcord is talking cut backs. Big ones." Kane said. "With Alpha Flight dissolved, that can only mean Beta is next. If it goes, there's Mac and Heather on the rocks as well."
"This is..." Jean-Paul searched for an appropriate English word. "This is stupid - who do they think to replace Beta Flight with?"
Garrison shrugged. "No idea. Probably something modeled off of SHIELD. Department H's tech research hasn't been touched. Gamma's enough for the training regimen. Maybe they'll moved the old Beta people to the new agency. Or just cut them entirely."
Bureaucratic shifting about might not be so bad, so long as the entire program wasn't scrapped. They'd need more than a SHIELD carbon copy, of course. Jean-Paul tried to look at it objectively, though - he'd hated his time on the team, but that didn't mean that they hadn't accomplished necessary tasks. "There is a plan to avoid this, is there not?"
"If you consider 'hoping like hell it doesn't happen' a plan, sure. The PMO wants the program gone, MacDonald's position in the cabinet is really weak and Colcord claims he's almost run out of political markers to cash in." Garrison didn't like considering the possibility, but he didn't have much of a choice. "If they push, it's going to be a question of when the program goes, not if."
"Hm..." Jean-Paul mulled that one over for a moment, then shook his head. "It is, as they say, too bad. But c'est la vie. You are here now, not there. It is not so bad, if they are only moved to other positions."
"I don't think it's that simple. If they want to bury it, the first thing will be to pull back anyone who's currently outside of the country. They'll cut the funding, which means unless Colcord can cook the books, most of the people will be out of a job, and anyone who needs special help or treatment will have to look at outside sources. Then, there's the other question," Kane paused. "Right now, we're still government assets. If Alpha Flight is cut, we become, well, compromised. They'll want to make sure they know where we are and what we're doing. All of us, past and present."
Jean-Paul frowned at that. It wasn't something he'd considered - and it certainly wasn't something that he liked. He'd been out of Alpha Flight for well over a decade. They had no business looking into his life now. "Oui, I see your point." He felt like it was a point possibly made to manipulate him and he knew he was letting it succeed because self-interest was one thing, but he had Jeanne-Marie to consider. And if the government did view him as a compromised asset despite his very vocal separation from the program... he wasn't sure to what lengths they would go to guarantee his silence. That put others in danger - Kevin, anyone else at the mansion who might be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That put Vanessa and everyone at X-Factor in danger as well.
"What do you suggest, Kane?"
"I have no idea. I suppose we could try and lobby the PMO, but-" He scrubbed his hand through his hair. "Getting our people killed was bad. Not having the slightest clue who did it and why is worse. Maybe if we could figure out who was behind the attack, we'd have something concrete to take to Ottawa; proof that Canada needs a program like Alpha Flight and it is a working solution."
'We.' Kane kept saying 'we.' And 'our.' Jean-Paul hated working with teams. He hated being on them and having to slow down for everyone else, he hated the closeness, the camaraderie, and how he never fit in. But this whole picture was suddenly a great deal larger than he'd thought and if he was going to protect the people who were important to him, he needed to be a part of whatever this was that Kane was considering. "Do you have any ideas about these things? About where to begin?" Wild goose chases were never really fun.
"I wish. Logan, Marie and I were looking into it, but we kept running into deadends. As far as we could tell, there wasn't anything valuable at the site, but Logan found an old tag from his Weapon X days. How it ended up there is anyone's guess." Kane tapped the palm of his hand, like it was a list of points he was connecting. "We still don't know who did the killing, or the reason why now and why there? Was it just a target of opportunity? Does the facility even matter, or was it just where they knew the team would be deployed?"
"Oui - well. What did the attack accomplish? If you cannot discover the beginning, at least you know the means and the end. And so..." Jean-Paul gestured toward Kane. "This left the program unstable, as you say. It... removed the country's most capable, immediate line of mutant defense. It has cast doubts on the rest of the program and its leadership." Frowning, he shrugged. "Undermining mutants in general, maybe, or does someone want the finale you have suggested, with the program closed all the way and its assets considered dangerous? What purpose would this serve?"
"It depends what the goal is. If their objective is something inside of Canada, removing Alpha Flight as an effective response makes sense as an opening gambit. Or maybe Alpha Flight in general was the target. Or the objective was whatever was in the tracking station, and Alpha Flight just got in the way. We know there's something tied into the WEAPON program that Logan was involved in, but we don't know how."
Jean-Paul didn't respond immediately, still frowning. "You have somewhere that you are keeping track of things? Your thoughts and the actions you have taken so far? With Logan and Marie?"
"We've got some notes. Why?"
"Because being organised will help you, I think. May I see the notes?"
Kane was silent for a moment, considering. Jean-Paul had surprised him the last time they spoke, and he was involved in the situation, regardless of how willing that involvement was. Finally, he nodded. "Let me talk to Logan and we can bring you up to speed. He's got some things on the go right now that might be helpful."
"Merci," Jean-Paul said, nodding. "You have access to my mobile number, when Logan is finished with his things." He looked down at the letter in his hand, then, and quirked a brow. "Thank you, also, for bringing me this."
He could have made a sarcastic retort, but instead, Kane just nodded as he left the room. It was the first civil conversation he'd had with Jean-Paul in ages.
It wasn't the place that he wanted to be in general, but the reality was that some things had to be done. Garrison shook his head, as if trying to dislodge the sour thoughts camped in his head. He'd made a promise, and it was his own fault for agreeing to it. With a deep breath, he knocked on Jean-Paul's door.
"Oui?" Jean-Paul was packing up the last of his books in a box to carry over to Kevin's suite. He answered the door a moment after speaking, a cookbook held under one arm and a well-thumbed copy of Romeo and Juliet in hand. "Ah. Kane."
"Yes, ah, Kane." Garrison said, with a wry twist. "I see you're nearly done moving."
"Oui, most of my things are in the city now, though Kevin said he did not mind the books, so he will keep them for me." Jean-Paul raised an eyebrow. "You have news of Lil?" He sincerely doubted that the other man had turned up just to say 'hello.'
Garrison reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. It had come as part of a larger package from Heather. "Here. Lil sent this down through Heather for you."
Taking this envelope after a bit of shuffling where the cookbook and play were concerned, Jean-Paul nodded his thanks. "Merci," he said, though he didn't open it immediately. Rather, he quirked his head just slightly to the side and asked, "Why are you playing the messenger?"
"There's... complications in Canada. Heather thought it was easiest to send it to me with her usual pack of notes." Kane's eyes gave nothing away.
"Complications?" Jean-Paul asked the question despite himself, not concerned precisely, but almost proprietorially interested. He almost wished he could take it back. Instead, he followed it up with, "What kind of complications?"
"Do you actually care?" For once, the question was without anger or scorn in his voice. More surprise than anything. Jean-Paul's break with the team had been an unbroachable subject for so long, that even their last meeting hadn't cleared away all the assumptions.
Jean-Paul frowned just a bit. "I would not ask if I did not. What are these complications?"
"The political situation is getting worse. Department H just barely fought off an audit, and Colcord is talking cut backs. Big ones." Kane said. "With Alpha Flight dissolved, that can only mean Beta is next. If it goes, there's Mac and Heather on the rocks as well."
"This is..." Jean-Paul searched for an appropriate English word. "This is stupid - who do they think to replace Beta Flight with?"
Garrison shrugged. "No idea. Probably something modeled off of SHIELD. Department H's tech research hasn't been touched. Gamma's enough for the training regimen. Maybe they'll moved the old Beta people to the new agency. Or just cut them entirely."
Bureaucratic shifting about might not be so bad, so long as the entire program wasn't scrapped. They'd need more than a SHIELD carbon copy, of course. Jean-Paul tried to look at it objectively, though - he'd hated his time on the team, but that didn't mean that they hadn't accomplished necessary tasks. "There is a plan to avoid this, is there not?"
"If you consider 'hoping like hell it doesn't happen' a plan, sure. The PMO wants the program gone, MacDonald's position in the cabinet is really weak and Colcord claims he's almost run out of political markers to cash in." Garrison didn't like considering the possibility, but he didn't have much of a choice. "If they push, it's going to be a question of when the program goes, not if."
"Hm..." Jean-Paul mulled that one over for a moment, then shook his head. "It is, as they say, too bad. But c'est la vie. You are here now, not there. It is not so bad, if they are only moved to other positions."
"I don't think it's that simple. If they want to bury it, the first thing will be to pull back anyone who's currently outside of the country. They'll cut the funding, which means unless Colcord can cook the books, most of the people will be out of a job, and anyone who needs special help or treatment will have to look at outside sources. Then, there's the other question," Kane paused. "Right now, we're still government assets. If Alpha Flight is cut, we become, well, compromised. They'll want to make sure they know where we are and what we're doing. All of us, past and present."
Jean-Paul frowned at that. It wasn't something he'd considered - and it certainly wasn't something that he liked. He'd been out of Alpha Flight for well over a decade. They had no business looking into his life now. "Oui, I see your point." He felt like it was a point possibly made to manipulate him and he knew he was letting it succeed because self-interest was one thing, but he had Jeanne-Marie to consider. And if the government did view him as a compromised asset despite his very vocal separation from the program... he wasn't sure to what lengths they would go to guarantee his silence. That put others in danger - Kevin, anyone else at the mansion who might be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That put Vanessa and everyone at X-Factor in danger as well.
"What do you suggest, Kane?"
"I have no idea. I suppose we could try and lobby the PMO, but-" He scrubbed his hand through his hair. "Getting our people killed was bad. Not having the slightest clue who did it and why is worse. Maybe if we could figure out who was behind the attack, we'd have something concrete to take to Ottawa; proof that Canada needs a program like Alpha Flight and it is a working solution."
'We.' Kane kept saying 'we.' And 'our.' Jean-Paul hated working with teams. He hated being on them and having to slow down for everyone else, he hated the closeness, the camaraderie, and how he never fit in. But this whole picture was suddenly a great deal larger than he'd thought and if he was going to protect the people who were important to him, he needed to be a part of whatever this was that Kane was considering. "Do you have any ideas about these things? About where to begin?" Wild goose chases were never really fun.
"I wish. Logan, Marie and I were looking into it, but we kept running into deadends. As far as we could tell, there wasn't anything valuable at the site, but Logan found an old tag from his Weapon X days. How it ended up there is anyone's guess." Kane tapped the palm of his hand, like it was a list of points he was connecting. "We still don't know who did the killing, or the reason why now and why there? Was it just a target of opportunity? Does the facility even matter, or was it just where they knew the team would be deployed?"
"Oui - well. What did the attack accomplish? If you cannot discover the beginning, at least you know the means and the end. And so..." Jean-Paul gestured toward Kane. "This left the program unstable, as you say. It... removed the country's most capable, immediate line of mutant defense. It has cast doubts on the rest of the program and its leadership." Frowning, he shrugged. "Undermining mutants in general, maybe, or does someone want the finale you have suggested, with the program closed all the way and its assets considered dangerous? What purpose would this serve?"
"It depends what the goal is. If their objective is something inside of Canada, removing Alpha Flight as an effective response makes sense as an opening gambit. Or maybe Alpha Flight in general was the target. Or the objective was whatever was in the tracking station, and Alpha Flight just got in the way. We know there's something tied into the WEAPON program that Logan was involved in, but we don't know how."
Jean-Paul didn't respond immediately, still frowning. "You have somewhere that you are keeping track of things? Your thoughts and the actions you have taken so far? With Logan and Marie?"
"We've got some notes. Why?"
"Because being organised will help you, I think. May I see the notes?"
Kane was silent for a moment, considering. Jean-Paul had surprised him the last time they spoke, and he was involved in the situation, regardless of how willing that involvement was. Finally, he nodded. "Let me talk to Logan and we can bring you up to speed. He's got some things on the go right now that might be helpful."
"Merci," Jean-Paul said, nodding. "You have access to my mobile number, when Logan is finished with his things." He looked down at the letter in his hand, then, and quirked a brow. "Thank you, also, for bringing me this."
He could have made a sarcastic retort, but instead, Kane just nodded as he left the room. It was the first civil conversation he'd had with Jean-Paul in ages.
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