A Rumble of Frost chapter 20

February 15th 2001, Westchester, New York 4:00 PM EDT

"So,  you're saying you walked into my room because Kitty didn't give you  proper directions?" Her eyes were narrowed at me, but more in suspicion  than hostility. I had to admit it MIGHT have been because I saw that fat  ass of hers bare, but her accent was seriously hot. Sort of a softer  french that I really enjoyed listening to.

I gave her a  dazzling grin. "Is that really such a shock?" I glanced down at me  mostly bare chest where the lightning bolt had scorched my shirt away.

She  rolled her eyes, but I noticed them skimming over my well developed  abs. Apparently I wasn't the only one who enjoyed getting an eyeful, not  that I'd be bringing it up right now. Maybe if I was lucky though Uncle  Chuck would be sending her with us. It was unlikely, but the mental  image of a threesome with her and Felicia on the ten hour plane ride to  London made any annoyance at the mild burn marks vanish like the smoke  wafting off my slightly singed chest.

"As amusing as this  is." Uncle Chuck said dryly. "I don't suppose you came here to flirt  with my students. Perhaps you might share your purpose for the visit.  Not that I mind, but your mother and I are hardly on good terms these  days. It seems odd that you would defy her like this."

I  snorted at that. "You know why I'm here perfectly well. I can buy that  you might not be aware that I left home, there's no way she would want  it leaked to you, but if you want to tell me you didn't read my team  members as soon as they showed up with me I call bullshit." Uncle Chuck  loved playing games. Some of them were 'politeness' and some of them  were manipulation (read, the same thing but less nice) but knowing what  almost everyone thinks is less of a gift than most people think.

It  was why he and mom got together. Her diamond form made her immune to  telepathy (something I inherited and he liked having someone around who  wasn't an open book. Of course, she had been young and impressionable  and hadn't much enjoyed being a shiny novelty for a man she genuinely  cared about. They still interacted of course, but now it was more cat  and mouse than Romeo and Juliet. It was baffling to me frankly, but they  seemed to enjoy it so I just left them to their own devices.

Despite  my tone, he smiled at me widely. "I didn't expect that." He leaned back  in his chair, eyes shining. "See, this is why I've always been fond of  you William. You're one of the few who can surprise me." He glanced  wryly at Ororo. "For better or worse. Yes, I am aware of your request.  The question is, why should I grant it? The X-jet is an integral part of  our operations. It seems nonsensical to lend it to you for a quick  jaunt to London."

I rolled my eyes. "Except you know it  isn't. You know we need it to track down something potentially very  powerful to stop literal terrorists from getting their hands on it. I  don't know Fenris, but I'm pretty sure you do. You're telling me you  have no stake in making sure they don't get their hands on a  superweapon?"

"A POSSIBLE super weapon." He said calmly.  "You don't know what the Zodiac Key opens any more than you know what  the object they're going for is. This isn't enemy action, it's a wild  goose chase." He spread his hands expansively. "So, go ahead. Convince  me that I might enjoy some roasted goose."

Groaning, I let  my head slump to the desk. "Gods you people are exhausting. Can't any  of you ever just say what you want? Why all the games. You're clearly  leading me somewhere."

Ororo, who had been sitting quietly  to one side, was watching us like we were a tennis match. Finally, she  cleared her throat. "Excuse me professor." She said in that gorgeous  accent. "Perhaps you might share with those of us involved in the team  what exactly is going on. It IS our means of transportation up for grabs  here."

Uncle Chuck sighed, nodding slowly. "Yes. I  suppose that would only be fair." He raised his voice. "Jean, Scott, you  might as well come inside. If we're going to have a team discussion it  would be best for us to have it out in the open."

I turned  to look as the door creaked open, admitting a pair of people I'd never  met, but at least one of whom I knew. The sexy little redhead with the  punker hair cut was Jean Grey, Uncle Chuck's golden girl. The brown  haired douche in the red tinted sunglasses and the perfectly pressed  polo wasn't familiar to me, but I knew there was a guy on the team that  shot eye lasers. This must be him.

Jean cleared her throat  guiltily. "Oh. Professor. We...were just coming to talk to you about  inventory. We were light on pop tarts this month so we figured we would  try to get the order bumped up by ten percent. That should cover us.  They're pretty popular with the students."

Raising my  eyebrow I smirked at the girl. "Really? Pop tart inventory? I'd have  thought the old man would have you trained to lie better than that. Not  that there's a point. He can read your mind, and I'm not stupid." I shot  a glance at Ororo. "I get the feeling she isn't either, but you know  her better than I do."

The white haired girl sneered at  me. "And here I was just starting to like you. Shame you had to go and  undo all that good will."

"Good will?" I said archly. "You were only starting to like me because you blew my shirt off."

She  grinned at me. "Your point? I won't apologize for a nice view. You  certainly didn't." She bit her lip, raking her eyes down my chest again.

That  got a laugh out of me. "Oh I didn't want an apology. I was just going  to say if you like me after you get my shirt off I'm not to worried  about your high regard. If that was all it took I can't wait to see how  much you love me when you get my pants off."

"Well." She said wryly. "It WOULD make us even. I just wonder if you have as much to show as I did."

Jean  gasped. "Ororo! You can't just SAY things like that. William is a guest  of the Professor. He doesn't know any of us well enough for those kinds  of jokes." Despite her shock and 'outrage' I saw her own eyes lingering  on my abs and chest and a slight flush on her face.

The  storm manipulator shrugged. "Maybe not. But he's seen my bare ass, so  I'm not too worried about breaking the ice." She raised an eyebrow.  "Besides Jeanie, I hardly think you're in a position to throw stones. I  think we all like to go a little...wild, sometimes."

The  redhead paled a bit, but didn't address Ororo again. I wondered what  that was about. The douche looked at her curiously, but he shifted his  attention back Uncle Chuck. "Fine. Professor we'd like to know who this  person is and why he thinks he can just waltz in here and ask to borrow  our jet."

Oh look, my read on his was accurate. He WAS a  douche. "I'm Ken U. Gofuckyourself, sunglasses at night. And it's none  of your damn business what I use the jet for. It's HIS jet, not yours,  freeloader." Something about this guy instantly pissed me off. Even  before his douchey goody-goody question I hadn't liked him, and opening  his mouth hadn't done him any favors.

"Enough, William."  My uncle said tiredly. "Scott is simply concerned about the productivity  of the team, which is his place as one of the leaders. There is no need  for such animosity." Scott smirked at me, but it dropped as Uncle  Chuck's eyes snapped to him. "That said, Mr. Summers, William is  correct. Who I choose to share my resources with is none of your  concern, and letting you be present at this meeting is already showing  you the respect you are due."

Prep shitbag gave a slow  nod. "Apologies professor. I should have kept my concerns to myself."  Which was the most passive aggressive bullshit answer I'd ever heard. I  was pretty sure he already had a grudge, based on the way his eyebrow  twitched them peppermint patty gave me the once over. Prep douche had a  crush on the little redhead, and he didn't like her eyeing the scenery.

"In  any case." Uncle Chuck said firmly. "William is my nephew in all but  blood. His mother and I were colleagues when we were younger, and I've  been around him his entire life." His eyes flicked to me. "Which does  NOT, as it happens, entitle him to free air fare. So as I asked before.  What exactly do you have to offer?"

I narrowed my eyes at  him. "I'm not joining your little club Uncle Chuck. I have my own crew,  they're waiting outside. WE have a mission, and I'd be happy to bring  your little mutant justice pals along with us for the take down, but I'm  my own man. I don't work for mom and I won't work for you, no matter  how annoying you think she would find it." My tone wasn't harsh, because  I didn't really care about their bullshit, but it WAS firm. I wasn't  giving on this.

Douche prep and the redhead bristled at my  dismissive form of address, but it was none of my business what crawled  up their asses. Uncle Chuck just waited, because he was hardly stupid.  He could read people even when they were immune to his mind game  bullshit, just not as well. He knew I wasn't done. He'd asked for an  offer, not a rejection.

Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "I  MIGHT be open to working for you once. Maybe. Depending on the job." He  didn't respond and I snorted. "You knew if I wouldn't work for mom I  wouldn't work for you. So lets cut the bullshit and you tell me what you  DO want instead of trying to lead me there. I don't have time for the  runaround."

He sighed. "So much like your mother at times.  She can be blunt when she needs to be. Very well. I want you and your  little group to look into some people for me. Have you heard of the  Church of the Shi'ar Enlightenment by any chance?"

"I...I'm  sorry." I said dumbly. "You're saying I need to FIND JESUS for you to  let me use your jet? Because I'm gonna be honest, asking me to join a  religion is a bit beyond the pale, even for the use of a jet that nice.  Maybe you could ask me to check out some literature? Volunteer on the  weekends. You're supposed to ease people into this kind of thing Uncle  Chuck."

Jean giggled, Ororo smirked, and Scott sneered at  those two reactions. My uncle just scoffed. "They are NOT a religion.  They are a cult. They are ALSO a threat to my operations, going out of  their way to undermine my finances and attempt to suborn my potential  recruits."

It was my turn to sigh. "Which is why you need  me. They'll be watching you, but my crew and I are independent and our  relationship isn't common knowledge. Hell my EXISTENCE isn't common  knowledge. You want us to join up and do some recon on the crazies so  you can find out when to spike their kool aid." It sounded irritating, I  hated recon, but if it got us on the plane I'd still do it."

That  got me a sad shake of the head. "You see? You have a perfectly  functional brain William, I have no idea why you insist on forgoing its  use to lumber through life like some sort of thug. You're capable of so  much, but all you do is resort to violence."

I snorted.  "If violence isn't your last resort you've failed to resort to enough of  it. Punching things solves problems faster than talking or plotting. I  CAN do things your way, it just annoys me. That's why I have a team.  We've got a guy for that. I'll get your job done though, I assume that  means I can use your jet? I'm burning daylight here."

He  nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. You may use our means of transport." I  exhaled in relief and went to stand up. "But." He said quickly. I  groaned but stayed standing. "You'll take Logan with you." I started to  protest and he held up a hand. "Non negotiable. You're going to be using  my transport, and as such may be linked to me. I want a representative  there to corral your more...destructive tendencies."

"And  that's LOGAN?" I said incredulously. "The surly fur trapper with metal  bones and knuckle daggers? Because I can't see any scenario where Logan  is the voice of any reason aside from a reason to knife someone in a  dark alley. He's like a particularly angry dog, but not as well  trained." I saw Jean flinch at that, weirdly, but ignored it. Logan was  the big hairy asshole that acted as my uncle's lumberjack esque  henchman, and I didn't fucking like him at all.

Sadly, it  seemed I was talking into the wind. "You will take Logan." He said  firmly. He glanced over the room. "You may also take Ororo and Jean.  Ororo can be as impulsive as you are and Jean is the voice of reason in  many situations." The redhead pouted, and he chuckled. "Not ALL  situations. I'm aware you have plenty of gumption Jean. But I trust  you." He smiled at her kindly.

She blushed a bit, and I  wondered if he was banging her too. He'd certainly been with mom as a  student, at least based on the timeline of my birth. I didn't care much  honestly, I was just annoyed about having to deal with her. Weirdly she  seemed EXCITED to go with me, not sure what that was about.

I  turned to Ororo and shot her another grin. "Looks like we're going to  get a chance to know each other better. Maybe you'll like me better  after our plane ride."

She batted her eyelashes at me  coyly. "I suppose that depends on whether you're planning to wear pants  on the way over?" I barked out a laugh at the girl. I liked her. 

I turned to my uncle. "Send me the info on the Church to go over on the  ride over. No point working for a telepath if I don't get a cheat  sheet." Then I stood up and headed out of the room. We'd delayed long  enough. We needed to get going.