CHAPTER TEN: THE CURE
"The...the X-men?" Mr. Cumingsworth questioned. He looked to Storm, to Charles, and back to
Logan's scowling face.
"You're mutants!" he cried suddenly. Logan rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles.
"Thanks for pointin' that out, bub." Charles held up his hand for silence.
"We need your help, Mr. Cumingsworth, if you can give it to us. You see, it has come to our
attention that you were an employee of the military base Alkali Lake. As I'm sure you're aware,
the base has been destroyed. You were researching an antidote for a set of side-effects that
resulted from one of the base's experimental weapons, a mind-control chemical. Am I correct
thus far?" he asked calmly. Frank just stared open-mouthed and nodded silently. Charles took a
breath.
"I do not know if you were fully aware of the experiments going on at Alkali Lake. Not only
were all of them illegal, they were inhuman." Charles stared at Frank, he seemed to be pausing to
let this information sink in, when in reality he was searching Mr. Cumingsworth's mind for any
information. Frank's eyes became unfocused, and he began to slump over. Charles quickly drew
out, causing Frank to jerk up in surprise.
"What were you doing?" he asked panicked. Charles looked apologetic as he folded his hands in
his lap.
"If you'll excuse me, I had to be sure you were someone we could trust. I read your thoughts, to
be sure you were not an employee directly involved in any of the...happenings...at the base. Of
course, you understand..." Frank had a confused look but simply nodded.
"Now...we need to know anything you know about the antidote." he said sternly. Mr.
Cumingsworth glanced at Logan once more, who gave a deep growl with his eyes narrowed.
Frank gulped, and meekly replied "Follow me..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
He led them to the back of the house, which was itself as unassuming as could be. The kitchen
had a few dirty dishes, some flowered curtains, and clean white linoleum. There were no photos
around, in fact nothing of a particularly personal nature was anywhere. Mr. Cumingsworth led
them down a narrow carpeted hallway, until they reached a plain brown door at the end. It could
have been a closet, by the looks of it. Charles sat directly behind Frank as he fiddles with the
knob for a few moments before it gave way. Instead of brooms and mops, there was a cement
slope, leading down and down into blackness.
"This goes to the laboratory" Frank explained, as a cool breeze wafted from the blackness,
stirring Storm's white hair and making goose bumps rise on her arms. She glanced around,
locking eyes with Logan, who gave her a knowing look. He was unsettled, too.
"You see, when Alkali Base hired me, I was just a chemical engineer starting my career. They
bought me this house, and had the laboratory installed in the basement, for maximum security. I
was never told all the details about the base, just that they were a branch of the government that
specialized in weapons of defense. I was sworn to secrecy, and was told to keep a low profile
while I worked on this one specific project." He looked at Charles, almost pleading.
"I swear I had no idea that what they were doing was illegal, you have to believe me.." Charles
interrupted him.
"We believe what you say, Mr. Cumingsworth, please continue." Frank nodded, looking a bit
less anxious.
"Well, I was given all the data I needed to begin working. They were looking for an antidote for
one of their experiments, a mind control substance they were in the hypothetical stages of
creating for use in terrorist interrogations." Logan snorted loudly, a scowl on his face.
"Yeah, hypothetical stages, that's what they were doing..." Storm looked at him angrily, and he
fell silent, glaring at the floor. Frank looked confused.
"You don't mean...they hadn't actually been making a mind-control substance, had they? Then
that means that all my data was..."
"Yes, all of it was actual data they gathered, when they tested their chemicals on subjects."
Charles said gravely.
"So then...when they told me to assume that hypothetical test subjects had died..." Storm bit her
lip hard. Her mind kept wandering back to the jet, where she knew Kurt and Scott lay dying. She
felt as if her heart were being ripped from her chest. Charles just nodded again.
"Yes. They had actual test subjects that died. Both human and mutant alike." Frank looked as if
he'd been slapped.
"My god...if I had known, I might've been able to..." Charles just shook his head, causing Frank
to fall silent.
"I understand that this is upsetting, but we are wasting valuable minutes. We have three persons
in dire need of that antidote, if it exists. Now can you help us?" Logan stared at Mr.
Cumingsworth, silently daring him to refuse. But Frank was already turning to walk down the
ramp.
"Come with me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Cumingsworth sat at a huge computer monitor, with a screen as large as a wall. Numbers
were flashing across the screen at an amazing speed, while Frank's fingers fairly flew across a
small black keyboard. Charles sat to his right, Storm stood watching the screen to his left, and
Logan stood behind them, glancing around the room every few seconds. The room was
windowless and large, and nearly all stainless steel and concrete. There were spotless tables and
counters covered with nameless science tools, and humming and beeping machines in every
corner, each larger than Mr. Cumingsworth. Papers were scattered around the room, placed on
every available surface, along with opened books and computer printouts. Mr. Cumingsworth
seemed oblivious to the disorder, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he
skittered around the room, gathering various papers into his arms and placing them next to his
chair at the computer. Finally he paused, and the cease of the tapping of keys made Logan look
back. Frank was rubbing his forehead, a concerned expression on his face as he studied the
screen. Charles' face was expressionless and calm, and Storm had the same look of concentration
as Mr. Cumingsworth as she too read the screen.
"Well, what does it say?" Logan finally questioned impatiently after a few moments. Frank spun
his chair to face the three. His earlier meek appearance had been replaced by one of
determination.
"My last transaction with the base was an experimental antidote formula, but I don't believe they
got a chance to actually test it before the disaster. It's purely hypothetical, of course, but it's all
we've got to go on. I've got most of the ingredients here in the lab..." he stood quickly and began
to rummage through a metal cabinet filled with small jars and metal boxes. After a few minutes
he turned back around, arms filled with vials. He let them clatter onto one of the metal tables.
"I've got almost everything. I can made the antidote here. But not until I get the last two things."
He looked up to Charles.
"Both of them are illegal, I'd need a special permit to obtain even a tiny sample, and even then
it'd take months, maybe a year." Logan grit his teeth.
"God damn it, we don't GOT a year! They're dying RIGHT NOW!" He spun around and began
to pace the room like a caged animal. Charles looked after him for a moment before returning his
gaze to Frank, who looked helpless.
"If we could get these two substances, would you be able to make the antidote?" Frank mopped
his brow, very nervous.
"They're both highly radioactive, dangerous, and rare. But if you could get some...then yes, I
could make it." He furrowed his brow. "But how could you get it? The only place I know where
it's stored is in a top-secret laboratory somewhere in Washington D.C. The only people in the US
who have it are the scientists working for the military. Plutonium and Uranium don't just turn up
at your local grocery store. And there's no way they would ever allow anyone to take any..."
Frank stopped, his eyes grew wide with realization.
"You...you can't be planning to steal it, can you? There's no way! It's probably one of the most
secure areas in the world!" Logan turned around, a small smirk on his face.
"We've got our ways with handlin' secure areas. You do your job, we'll do ours." Charles
nodded and turned his chair to leave.
"You won't hurt anyone, will you?" Frank called after them. Storm turned and gave him a small,
sad smile.
"We'll do our best, I promise. Just...please, get the antidote made for us. These are our friends
who are dying." Frank returned her sad smile weakly.
"I'll do my best, too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated! It actually took awhile to choose where I
wanted the story to go next, and I thought this sounded pretty good. In the next chapters, look for
more about Kurt/Scott/Eric and their conditions, and coming soon: a battle! Woo-hoo! Not too
sure when the next part will be up, maybe tomorrow afternoon or sometime Wednesday. Thanks
for reading!! Review!
"The...the X-men?" Mr. Cumingsworth questioned. He looked to Storm, to Charles, and back to
Logan's scowling face.
"You're mutants!" he cried suddenly. Logan rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles.
"Thanks for pointin' that out, bub." Charles held up his hand for silence.
"We need your help, Mr. Cumingsworth, if you can give it to us. You see, it has come to our
attention that you were an employee of the military base Alkali Lake. As I'm sure you're aware,
the base has been destroyed. You were researching an antidote for a set of side-effects that
resulted from one of the base's experimental weapons, a mind-control chemical. Am I correct
thus far?" he asked calmly. Frank just stared open-mouthed and nodded silently. Charles took a
breath.
"I do not know if you were fully aware of the experiments going on at Alkali Lake. Not only
were all of them illegal, they were inhuman." Charles stared at Frank, he seemed to be pausing to
let this information sink in, when in reality he was searching Mr. Cumingsworth's mind for any
information. Frank's eyes became unfocused, and he began to slump over. Charles quickly drew
out, causing Frank to jerk up in surprise.
"What were you doing?" he asked panicked. Charles looked apologetic as he folded his hands in
his lap.
"If you'll excuse me, I had to be sure you were someone we could trust. I read your thoughts, to
be sure you were not an employee directly involved in any of the...happenings...at the base. Of
course, you understand..." Frank had a confused look but simply nodded.
"Now...we need to know anything you know about the antidote." he said sternly. Mr.
Cumingsworth glanced at Logan once more, who gave a deep growl with his eyes narrowed.
Frank gulped, and meekly replied "Follow me..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
He led them to the back of the house, which was itself as unassuming as could be. The kitchen
had a few dirty dishes, some flowered curtains, and clean white linoleum. There were no photos
around, in fact nothing of a particularly personal nature was anywhere. Mr. Cumingsworth led
them down a narrow carpeted hallway, until they reached a plain brown door at the end. It could
have been a closet, by the looks of it. Charles sat directly behind Frank as he fiddles with the
knob for a few moments before it gave way. Instead of brooms and mops, there was a cement
slope, leading down and down into blackness.
"This goes to the laboratory" Frank explained, as a cool breeze wafted from the blackness,
stirring Storm's white hair and making goose bumps rise on her arms. She glanced around,
locking eyes with Logan, who gave her a knowing look. He was unsettled, too.
"You see, when Alkali Base hired me, I was just a chemical engineer starting my career. They
bought me this house, and had the laboratory installed in the basement, for maximum security. I
was never told all the details about the base, just that they were a branch of the government that
specialized in weapons of defense. I was sworn to secrecy, and was told to keep a low profile
while I worked on this one specific project." He looked at Charles, almost pleading.
"I swear I had no idea that what they were doing was illegal, you have to believe me.." Charles
interrupted him.
"We believe what you say, Mr. Cumingsworth, please continue." Frank nodded, looking a bit
less anxious.
"Well, I was given all the data I needed to begin working. They were looking for an antidote for
one of their experiments, a mind control substance they were in the hypothetical stages of
creating for use in terrorist interrogations." Logan snorted loudly, a scowl on his face.
"Yeah, hypothetical stages, that's what they were doing..." Storm looked at him angrily, and he
fell silent, glaring at the floor. Frank looked confused.
"You don't mean...they hadn't actually been making a mind-control substance, had they? Then
that means that all my data was..."
"Yes, all of it was actual data they gathered, when they tested their chemicals on subjects."
Charles said gravely.
"So then...when they told me to assume that hypothetical test subjects had died..." Storm bit her
lip hard. Her mind kept wandering back to the jet, where she knew Kurt and Scott lay dying. She
felt as if her heart were being ripped from her chest. Charles just nodded again.
"Yes. They had actual test subjects that died. Both human and mutant alike." Frank looked as if
he'd been slapped.
"My god...if I had known, I might've been able to..." Charles just shook his head, causing Frank
to fall silent.
"I understand that this is upsetting, but we are wasting valuable minutes. We have three persons
in dire need of that antidote, if it exists. Now can you help us?" Logan stared at Mr.
Cumingsworth, silently daring him to refuse. But Frank was already turning to walk down the
ramp.
"Come with me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
Mr. Cumingsworth sat at a huge computer monitor, with a screen as large as a wall. Numbers
were flashing across the screen at an amazing speed, while Frank's fingers fairly flew across a
small black keyboard. Charles sat to his right, Storm stood watching the screen to his left, and
Logan stood behind them, glancing around the room every few seconds. The room was
windowless and large, and nearly all stainless steel and concrete. There were spotless tables and
counters covered with nameless science tools, and humming and beeping machines in every
corner, each larger than Mr. Cumingsworth. Papers were scattered around the room, placed on
every available surface, along with opened books and computer printouts. Mr. Cumingsworth
seemed oblivious to the disorder, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he
skittered around the room, gathering various papers into his arms and placing them next to his
chair at the computer. Finally he paused, and the cease of the tapping of keys made Logan look
back. Frank was rubbing his forehead, a concerned expression on his face as he studied the
screen. Charles' face was expressionless and calm, and Storm had the same look of concentration
as Mr. Cumingsworth as she too read the screen.
"Well, what does it say?" Logan finally questioned impatiently after a few moments. Frank spun
his chair to face the three. His earlier meek appearance had been replaced by one of
determination.
"My last transaction with the base was an experimental antidote formula, but I don't believe they
got a chance to actually test it before the disaster. It's purely hypothetical, of course, but it's all
we've got to go on. I've got most of the ingredients here in the lab..." he stood quickly and began
to rummage through a metal cabinet filled with small jars and metal boxes. After a few minutes
he turned back around, arms filled with vials. He let them clatter onto one of the metal tables.
"I've got almost everything. I can made the antidote here. But not until I get the last two things."
He looked up to Charles.
"Both of them are illegal, I'd need a special permit to obtain even a tiny sample, and even then
it'd take months, maybe a year." Logan grit his teeth.
"God damn it, we don't GOT a year! They're dying RIGHT NOW!" He spun around and began
to pace the room like a caged animal. Charles looked after him for a moment before returning his
gaze to Frank, who looked helpless.
"If we could get these two substances, would you be able to make the antidote?" Frank mopped
his brow, very nervous.
"They're both highly radioactive, dangerous, and rare. But if you could get some...then yes, I
could make it." He furrowed his brow. "But how could you get it? The only place I know where
it's stored is in a top-secret laboratory somewhere in Washington D.C. The only people in the US
who have it are the scientists working for the military. Plutonium and Uranium don't just turn up
at your local grocery store. And there's no way they would ever allow anyone to take any..."
Frank stopped, his eyes grew wide with realization.
"You...you can't be planning to steal it, can you? There's no way! It's probably one of the most
secure areas in the world!" Logan turned around, a small smirk on his face.
"We've got our ways with handlin' secure areas. You do your job, we'll do ours." Charles
nodded and turned his chair to leave.
"You won't hurt anyone, will you?" Frank called after them. Storm turned and gave him a small,
sad smile.
"We'll do our best, I promise. Just...please, get the antidote made for us. These are our friends
who are dying." Frank returned her sad smile weakly.
"I'll do my best, too."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated! It actually took awhile to choose where I
wanted the story to go next, and I thought this sounded pretty good. In the next chapters, look for
more about Kurt/Scott/Eric and their conditions, and coming soon: a battle! Woo-hoo! Not too
sure when the next part will be up, maybe tomorrow afternoon or sometime Wednesday. Thanks
for reading!! Review!