Or Is He Both? - Final Questions
Aug. 30th, 2024 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsScott and Sooraya video call with the Hudsons about information they found out during their time in Colorado.
"This had been awhile. Normally it is just the Professor. Or Kane." Mac Hudson said and Heather leaned in.
"This is an upgrade from Kane. Anyone is an upgrade from Kane."
"Would you stop?" Mac said to her and she sat back from the screen. Scott, good to see you again. Ms Qadir, likewise. How can we help you right now?"
"Mac, always a pleasure, if you'd rather talk to Kane, Heather, I'm sure I can drag him out of whatever pile of circuit boards he's buried under right now." A small smile played across Scott's lips for a moment before the expression shifted, drifting away. "We've been...dealing with some unsavoury info and I'd like to get your take on it. Have you been hearing anything about Weapon X? It's starting to look like they've doing the Phoenix thing again."
"And with the kind of consequences that no one of us wants to see." Sooraya interjected quietly. "That draws lots of unwanted attention."
"Officially, the last contact Department H had with the Weapon-X program was when illegal experimentation was discovered by Director Colcord and he terminated our involvement. Unofficially-" Mac sat back, crossing his arms.
"Unofficially, we get whispers from time to time. Some tech ends up in the field that has elements of the program involved or rumours of a mutant with augmented abilities..." Heather sighed. "Despite our work with Logan when he was here rooting out any Weapon-X presence left in Canada, we were never sure we got all of it. Unfortunately, Colcord not only plays things very close to his chest but he's also not shy about his belief that Department H should be developing assets for national security. Like Mac said, officially and within the scope of our roles, anything about the program we have is leftover from Stryker's day or just vague rumours. We have... quietly put out some feelers, just in case there is more."
"It's that same gut-feeling as back in the day when Stryker was doing his thing," Scott allowed leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "If...any of your feelers happen to catch a bite and that information should happen to make it's way across to us, we...I would be grateful. The last thing any of us needs is that nightmare raising it's head. I'd prefer to shut it down now quietly while we still can and make sure we don't have to live through that again."
"And then there is Langkowski. We've got some suspicions, a lot of red flags and a bag of puzzle pieces against him, but that's it." Sooraya spoke up once again, consulting her notes. "Is there anything you can give us to put some of those pieces together? Possibly on behalf of someone?"
Mac barked a laugh, shaking his head at his wife. "I told you they'd notice. We asked Walt to play up being a little disgruntled about the direction of the Flight Program under us and to lean into any pings he might get as a result. He's doing so but... you need to remember, this is an incredibly complex and delicate situation up here, and just like the Pentagon, Department H is home to a hundred different programs with ambitious patrons."
"You were using him as a lightning rod," Scott's head nodded slowly, "That's smart. pull any disaffected parties out of hiding where you can deal with them. Now, why aren't we that smart? Did he find anything?"
"Langkowski found something." Sooraya quietly objected. "Something that almost cost a young life. It's probably nothing on the grand scale of things, but who knows what other young people like him are out there."
"We're dealing with some kind of mix that might be AIM, might be Weapon-X, might be the remenents from both, and all filtered through all kinds of layers of intel and bureaucracy. I know that things seem pretty simple when you're an X-Men, but the real world is different and not everyone can throw down at the drop of a hat." Heather said before drawing back a bit. "We're going to look into the leads we have, but there is nothing black and white in this world so don't expect a simple answer."
Scott's laugh was bitter as he leaned forward in his chair to capture Heather's gaze, "I've spent my entire life fighting a war that no-one's going to thank me for and being vilified that entire time. Trust me Heather, no-one knows better than me the shades of grey that exist in this world. Nothing is simple at all, but that means that sometimes we have the freedom to act where others are constrained by politics and the bureaucracy, but I haven't had a simple answer to a problem since....well since the last time Logan tried to steal my bike."
Heather Hudson could win a staring contest against a cat if she wanted to, but Scott's words earned simply a nod. "If we turn up anything useful, we'll be in touch. And if that intelligence network I'm told so often by SHIELD that you absolutely don't have at all turns up something, please let us know. If someone is trying to re-activate Weapon-X, it is to all of our advantage to stomp it out as soon and as thoroughly as possible."
"This had been awhile. Normally it is just the Professor. Or Kane." Mac Hudson said and Heather leaned in.
"This is an upgrade from Kane. Anyone is an upgrade from Kane."
"Would you stop?" Mac said to her and she sat back from the screen. Scott, good to see you again. Ms Qadir, likewise. How can we help you right now?"
"Mac, always a pleasure, if you'd rather talk to Kane, Heather, I'm sure I can drag him out of whatever pile of circuit boards he's buried under right now." A small smile played across Scott's lips for a moment before the expression shifted, drifting away. "We've been...dealing with some unsavoury info and I'd like to get your take on it. Have you been hearing anything about Weapon X? It's starting to look like they've doing the Phoenix thing again."
"And with the kind of consequences that no one of us wants to see." Sooraya interjected quietly. "That draws lots of unwanted attention."
"Officially, the last contact Department H had with the Weapon-X program was when illegal experimentation was discovered by Director Colcord and he terminated our involvement. Unofficially-" Mac sat back, crossing his arms.
"Unofficially, we get whispers from time to time. Some tech ends up in the field that has elements of the program involved or rumours of a mutant with augmented abilities..." Heather sighed. "Despite our work with Logan when he was here rooting out any Weapon-X presence left in Canada, we were never sure we got all of it. Unfortunately, Colcord not only plays things very close to his chest but he's also not shy about his belief that Department H should be developing assets for national security. Like Mac said, officially and within the scope of our roles, anything about the program we have is leftover from Stryker's day or just vague rumours. We have... quietly put out some feelers, just in case there is more."
"It's that same gut-feeling as back in the day when Stryker was doing his thing," Scott allowed leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "If...any of your feelers happen to catch a bite and that information should happen to make it's way across to us, we...I would be grateful. The last thing any of us needs is that nightmare raising it's head. I'd prefer to shut it down now quietly while we still can and make sure we don't have to live through that again."
"And then there is Langkowski. We've got some suspicions, a lot of red flags and a bag of puzzle pieces against him, but that's it." Sooraya spoke up once again, consulting her notes. "Is there anything you can give us to put some of those pieces together? Possibly on behalf of someone?"
Mac barked a laugh, shaking his head at his wife. "I told you they'd notice. We asked Walt to play up being a little disgruntled about the direction of the Flight Program under us and to lean into any pings he might get as a result. He's doing so but... you need to remember, this is an incredibly complex and delicate situation up here, and just like the Pentagon, Department H is home to a hundred different programs with ambitious patrons."
"You were using him as a lightning rod," Scott's head nodded slowly, "That's smart. pull any disaffected parties out of hiding where you can deal with them. Now, why aren't we that smart? Did he find anything?"
"Langkowski found something." Sooraya quietly objected. "Something that almost cost a young life. It's probably nothing on the grand scale of things, but who knows what other young people like him are out there."
"We're dealing with some kind of mix that might be AIM, might be Weapon-X, might be the remenents from both, and all filtered through all kinds of layers of intel and bureaucracy. I know that things seem pretty simple when you're an X-Men, but the real world is different and not everyone can throw down at the drop of a hat." Heather said before drawing back a bit. "We're going to look into the leads we have, but there is nothing black and white in this world so don't expect a simple answer."
Scott's laugh was bitter as he leaned forward in his chair to capture Heather's gaze, "I've spent my entire life fighting a war that no-one's going to thank me for and being vilified that entire time. Trust me Heather, no-one knows better than me the shades of grey that exist in this world. Nothing is simple at all, but that means that sometimes we have the freedom to act where others are constrained by politics and the bureaucracy, but I haven't had a simple answer to a problem since....well since the last time Logan tried to steal my bike."
Heather Hudson could win a staring contest against a cat if she wanted to, but Scott's words earned simply a nod. "If we turn up anything useful, we'll be in touch. And if that intelligence network I'm told so often by SHIELD that you absolutely don't have at all turns up something, please let us know. If someone is trying to re-activate Weapon-X, it is to all of our advantage to stomp it out as soon and as thoroughly as possible."
