Requiem

29

Sitting in one of many meeting rooms, the mutants gathered looked to the front of the room where Charles stood pacing somewhat with Moira leaning against the wall behind him. The room had been silent and like this for about five minutes. "So, people, the army, for instance, can't sort this guy out. So the CIA recruits us?" Alex asked, the explanation of all had happened and now the moment of truth was happening. The return of curious questions which would no doubt be answered with words which would not sit well. "That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it?"

"Yeah, like, by sounds of it this guy isn't really discreet. Why can't you just find him and you know..." Sean rolled his hands suggestively in the air, letting his words trail off. "Why do you need us?"

"They need us because Shaw's a mutant too." Both males snapped their attention to the side where Liesel sat absentmindedly looking out of the window. Her arm was resting on the windowsill, and her chin was resting against her palm. It was something that had been somewhat bothering her ever since crossing paths with him again. It was something she'd never truly dwelt on. But remembering his words to Emma, about not harming their own kind, it just signalled home that he was like them.

"Say what now? No way?!" Sean seemed genuinely shocked by this as he suddenly sat bolt upright in his chair and looked from her, to the front, to her again.

"Come on, why else would the CIA gather mutants together? It'd be overkill if he were but just a man, no?" Liesel's eyes tore away from the blue sky and lazy rolling clouds to look to the teenager from around Erik. He as yet had remained silent, not saying anything. Be fair, neither had Darwin, Angel or Raven. They seemed indifferent oddly enough. "So yes, whatever Shaw is doing, they need us...why risk human lives, when they can risk ours?"

"Liesel," Charles sighed heavily as he looked at her with a frown.

She held her hands up in defence and looked back out of the window. "Truth hurts."

"She's right though, isn't she?" Alex frowned and decided to pick on that. "Why bother with this at all if there's a likelihood of failure?"

"Because we're not going to fail." Charles said with exasperation. Alex frowned even more and nodded at him to explain his words. "We all have it within ourselves to band together, to work together and through our teamwork, we can beat Shaw."

"Great! That's all well and good then, huh?" Sean said while slouching in his chair. "We become a merry band of mutants and bring the bad guy down. Sounds like fun, it isn't like I've got anything else to do." It also wasn't like he could leave. Like they would allow him that if he declined helping.

"Anything else?" Moira asked, seeing as how most just accepted this mission for what it was. "Liesel?" She sounded somewhat irritated that the auburn haired woman had held a hand up. Of course she would!

"You know, when we succeed, and all of this is over and done with. What then?" She asked, she noticed how Darwin looked at her suddenly. Seems it was a conversation they had, he should've called them out on this too. "I do have a nice little apartment back in Poland to return to. Plants need watering, bills need paying...I've probably been evicted actually, but whatever. What is for after?"

This seemed to have both Charles and Moira stumped. "What would you like?"

Liesel looked at Moira like she was an idiot. "Poland. Home." She replied frankly, did the agent just completely blank everything she just said? "Everyone has their lives to return to, do they not? You have your...agenting, he has...I don't know, whatever Charles was doing before this. Raven will go with her brother, Hank will remain in his lab, Angel will return to her exotic, sordid dancing. Darwin will return to being a taxi driver, Alex will go on the run from the authorities, not that I blame him, Sean will return back to school, and Erik will go and do whatever he was doing, and I will return home. That...in an ideal world, is what would happen. Yet I feel like it will not." Each one in turn sort of shot her a look when she listed off their name and what she believed they would be doing. But, in an ideal world none of them would be here at all, yet they were. "What I am basically asking is this: will you keep us here, after we have done as you have asked?"