xp_logs | Death Is Legion

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Following the email from his father, Kyle arrives home and discovers the news is definitely not good.

Trigger Warning: Graphic violence.

It was only 40 degrees outside when the limousine service picked Kyle up from the arrivals gate at Logan International, but it didn’t dissuade his driver from talking animatedly about the start of golf season at Hilands. It was on the way to his parents place near Zimmerman’s Park, and as a kid, Kyle had seen enough of the hardcore golf addicts out in March, driving neon coloured balls around drifts of snow to recognize the type. His mother had apologized three times in her email for not being able to pick him up and promised to send a car, even though he’d suggested a rental. She had been cagey about the details of the car accident, just saying that his step-father would be fine, even if he’d be in traction for a few months. It could mean just a broken limb or something worse; Midge Gibney didn’t like relying private information over the phone or through e-mail, which meant if the accident was serious long-term, it would be explained over a family talk, face to face.

The car pulled in towards his street, and the driver whistled through his ginger-coloured beard. “Some neighbourhood. Your folks buy their place before all this got built up?”

"Bought one of those trailer houses when I was little ." Kyle explained. "The ones that show up on trucks in two parts? And my dad's in construction." He adjusted his legs - several hours in a plane, even with a layover was cramp city, and the long taxi drive wasn't any better. "Pretty sure he used to send polaroids of the house attached to his resume when he was looking for work.. " The Gibneys' house hadn't been the tiny two-bedroom since Kyle had been in grade school - Tyler had expanded it out, added a deck, and an attached garage, and a tool-shed, the latter of which was really a place for Tyler to hide the beers Midge didn't approve of, and watch football. "They did a lot of work to it once I was out of the house too." As they pulled up, it looked like to Kyle that his dad had been working on the windows too - he'd had plans to once the winter broke.

"Good timing. These places really jumped in value a few years ago." He pulled into the drive and waved off Kyle's attempt to tip. "All covered in the credit card. You have a nice visit."

"Uh. Cool." Kyle backed out of the cab, snagging his duffel on the way out, and shaking his head slightly. Paying for the cab -and- the tip was unusually generous of his mother. Tyler, yeah, he might've done that, but not his mom, not unless something was really wrong with Tyler and she wasn't thinking straight. He came up the walkway, and knocked before starting to dig around in the duffel bag for his keys. "Mom! Home! Open the door, I don't have shoes!" His 'screw you, shoes' policy was really not a great idea sometimes.

There was no answer at the door, although he could see the lights on through the front windows. The house looked like normal, and there was nothing to suggest anything was out of place.

"Dammit" Kyle finally dug out the keys, doing a little "shit shit the ground is cold" dance at the door, and fumbled them into the lock, and nudged the door open. "Yo, I see the car, I know you're home!" He yelled, as he swung the door open and then dropped duffle, keys, and - most unfortunately - phone onto the table by the door.

"In here, Kyle." His mom called from the den. Her voice sounded strained, almost an early warning system for bad news.

"Mom, seriously, we talked about this whole not telling me shit." Kyle shucked his jacket before heading into the den, and then stopped cold. "The FUCK is going on?"

"Sit down, X-Man." His parents were sitting side by side on the couch, with an odd, thick white rope lying slack around their shoulders and necks. Sitting next to them, almost relaxed, was a man that Gibney had hoped to never see outside briefings; Omega Red. The Russian terrorist was nattily dressed in a pearl grey suit and silk tie, but his pallor was more pronounced than usual and there was a flecking of tiny red sores visible at the edges of his eyes and cheeks. His one hand was resting on the seat cushion, and he knew that the 'white rope' was actually a flexible carbonadium coil, which at a thought, he could use to rip his parents apart like rag dolls.
Behind him, the door opened, and the limo driver stepped in, a gun in his hand and leveled at Kyle. "You should do what he says."

If Kyle had thought of it, he'd have smacked himself for tossing the phone on the table with his keys and bag. He eyed his parents for about half a second to make sure they were doing important things like breathing and moving eyeballs and had heartbeats he could hear, and then pointed at the armchair. "Sitting over there...." He said, and carefully sat down, watching Omega Red the entire time.

"X-Man, we will make this simple. You will be coming with us and doing what we say, or I will kill all three of you. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, I kinda figured there'd be death threats." Kyle said. "Clear as glass." He spread his arms in a "I am not gonna even think about fighting you." gesture, but his expression was one of anger.

"Good. Make him ready to travel, Doctor. I will handle the humans."

Cornelius walked over with a set of zipties, similar to the type that Kyle had seen Kane carry with his equipment into the field. He bound the mutant's wrists and ankles together tightly, helping him to sit when applying the latter. Arkady walked past, prodding Tyler and Midge Gibney in front of him.

"I don't want any surprises, Doctor."

"Yes, Arkady." He signed and reached down to retrive the roofing hammer he'd taken from Tyler's tool rack. Before Kyle could react, he was pulled forward by the ties, and Cornelius brought the hammer down sharply, shattering bones in Kyle's hands.

The howl that Kyle let out was followed by a guttural "Fuck!" and him spitting the blood from his bitten tongue out onto the floor.

Four more blows followed, until Kyle's hands were rendered broken and useless.

"We know this isn't permanent, Kyle. Just enough to keep you from getting any ideas while on the road. It's going to be a long trip."