G.H.O.S.T.: The Vaknar War

Reunion

Hunter went over the brief to his agents, , assigning them their duties.
"Toya will be joining me, as will Kane and Frost. I have the utmost faith in you, Maven, I know you can handle yourself in a fight."
Maven dapped Hunter up.
"Thanks man, much as I liked working with y'all, I like my solo life."
"There's something you should know Maven, there will always be a spot for you in the Elites." Toya said.
"That's good to hear, I'm sure we'll meet again someday."
Toya smiled.
"I hope so, we're all family here."
"We'll see each other soon then, give me a call if you need anything."
As Xavier turned to head to the hanger Hunter shoved Xavier's shoulder, nudging him to talk to Toya.
Xavier groaned.
"Hey, sorry about that, guess I'm still new at letting people in."
"Don't worry about it, I understand. You know where I'll be if you need anything right?"
"Of course, I mean you're kind of my boss." Xavier winked.
"Maybe one day I'll have my own desk next to yours."
"I wouldn't complain."
Xavier and Toya were the only ones left in the middle of the hangar as the rest were preparing their ship, but they seemed perfectly content on their own. The two of them just sat there staring at each other for a few minutes before Toya broke the silence again.
"So...what now?" She said slowly.
Xavier opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed she'd raised her eyebrow at him, as though challenging him to say something. He took another deep breath and spoke up.
"Are we really sure about this, about us?"
She blinked once before speaking up again. "What do you mean by 'this'?" She asked, not answering his question directly.
"This whole thing. Yes, we've been on a couple of missions together. We found out we're together in the future, but what does it mean for us now?"
He could see her visibly steel herself before answering him. "Well, there isn't really much else I can say about it."
"No...I guess not." Xavier looked away from her, turning to head to his plane.
"It's difficult to discuss with someone who doesn't know the future anymore. Yes, we were together in that Xavier's future, but that doesn't mean it stays the same in this one."
Xavier wasn't surprised by her answer, he knew she had a reason for it. He sighed heavily and let his head fall backwards.
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?"
Toya tapped her lips thoughtfully before replying. "It is complicated. Xavier, you know I don't lie to you. I..." She trailed off and looked down at the floor.
"You what?," Xavier said softly.
"I've already told you, you would have to confront your demon's sooner or later." Toya looked up at him.
"You're always so evasive every time I bring it up."
Xavier frowned, looking away from her.
"Because I've had enough hurt to last a lifetime, I'm tired of people letting themselves into my circle, only to end up hurt or worse. Sacrificing their lives just for my sake."
"You shouldn't blame yourself like that, you didn't ask for any of this to happen. This is something that happened before you were born and became a hero. It's not your fault."
"See that's just it. It is. All I bring is chaos to the doorstep"
"No, that isn't true. You saved the world, and more importantly, you saved me. If you hadn't sacrificed yourself to save everyone , I would have died too. Everything you did in the past has helped make it better."
"And yet here we are, all of us, the Heroes, still having to deal with these problems. There's never been a war that hasn't needed heroes to stop it." Xavier sighed deeply as he looked back at her.
"How many battles will you fight? How long until you're ready to give up?"
Toya stared at Xavier.
"I'm not giving up, and you're fighting for those you care about and for the world, that's why you're here, and that's what makes you a Hero." Toya reached over and grabbed his hand.
"I don't want to lose you." Xavier said.
"Then don't let me go."
The two of them held hands for a moment before they heard the Elites' plane roar to life.
"Alright lovebirds, wheels up!" Hunter shouted.
Toya looked back at Xavier.
"Do you trust me?"
Xavier nodded.
"Good."
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his face down to hers and kissing him passionately. Hunter let out a low whistle, but Xavier didn't notice. He was lost in the kiss, as she pushed herself against him, slowly moving her tongue into his mouth.
They broke apart after a few minutes. Toya smiled at him.
"I'll see you soon." She whispered.
"Be safe." He replied, watching as she got on the plane with the others
Hunter laughed and watched as Xavier walked away before he turned back to his teammate. "How many times do we have to go over this? We are not going to make a move on that man like some love struck teenager."
The team snickered, causing Toya to get irritated.
"Shut up and fly, Cap'n."
Hunter noticed her blush, he smiled, deciding not to press further.
Hunter grabbed the controls and started the engines up.
As the craft started making its way to the hangars port, Grim activated the intercom.
"Everyone, I want you to take a breather. There's no telling how long these missions might be, so enjoy the time we have now. Get some food, sleep, whatever makes you happy. We'll all be back together soon enough."
The craft shot off, heading to Australia.
Xavier watched as it sped off into the distance.
Things would be different this time, he swore it.
As he headed towards his hydrojet for his own mission, he saw his father talking to a mechanic working on the plane.
"Yes, just tune it a little to the left."
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey son, I thought I'd see you off before you went on your mission"
"Yeah..."
His father stared at him, a slight frown on his face.
"I'm-"
"Listen, I've been through hell trying to keep mom alive while you were away. I've hated you, thinking you were a deadbeat...and it seems you weren't. I know you did it to protect us from the Vaknar, but at least you should've told mom."
"I tried, but I couldn't. I was forced into a position where I had to leave. I was about to die, the Vaknar found out about me. If I didn't run fast, they would've killed us both. You were just a kid, you couldn't have known any better."
"But I could have!"
"You couldn't, you were just a child. They didn't care for you. As long as I switched your information they wouldn't come for you and her."
"And then what?"
"Well, I didn't know. I was going to be gone for years... I wasn't planning on ever coming home. That was until the attack from Stalax..."
"Stalax?"
"I thought I'd escaped the world of espionage when I met your mother, she's the light of my life. Stalax was the point were I knew if I didn't, she wouldn't live a long life"
"So will you come back to her?"
"I will, as soon as I cut the life of Max Bolton away. She's safe and sound in the compound with your cousin, so I'll be seeing her soon."
"What about me?"
"You're in good hands, with Hunter, the Elites, and Grim They'll take care of you. Just be ready for a bit of a change once you get back."
"Alright Pops."
The two hugged, Xavier embraced his father.
The hate was slowly melting away in his heart, fighting tears as the two broke off.
"Alright let me not hold you off any longer, you've got a world to save"
Malcolm proceeded to walk off to the elevator.
"Good luck dad..."
Xavier was about to head into the jet until he caught a glimpse of Grim observing the bay in his clear glass office.
He looked at his helmet for a minute before donning it and running toward the elevator with his father, "Family reunion."