「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(307) FDA

Charles' POV

"Is it Erik?" I snooped keenly as Hank hastily set down his tea.

"No. Though we have been making some progress on that front," he replied in a contemplative tone and swooped his arm down to his briefcase docked by his legs, swiftly pulling out an unidentifiable beige folder from within.

"Homeland Security was tracking Magneto. We got hits in Lisbon, Geneva, Montreal. NAVSAT lost him crossing the border, but we did get a consolation prize," Hank elaborated, thumbing through the stack of seemingly classified documents and eventually sieved out a regular-sized photograph, albeit only with its back towards us.

"She was picked up breaking into the FDA," Hank revealed, bearing a doleful expression, and Lynn gasped nervously as he apprehensively flipped over the picture in his palm.

Slowly, Hank slid the monochromic image across the coffee bench but it was soon snatched and quickly levitated into Lynn's grasp. Peeling her hand off mine for the first time since I entered, Lynn gripped the matte printout and scrutinised it closely, practically wishing her intent study was capable of altering the scene within, as Storm scampered over for the same examination. 

Although the background deficient of ample light had surely limited its quality, the surveillance snapshot, virtually veiled under a grainy layer, still provided recognisable information of a lady, silky dark locks waving in the winds, rooted in the middle of a spacious foyer as she stared back at the lens.

Accompanying her presumably devious glare was an arrogant stance as she had her arm and fingers characteristically outstretched towards the camera. While details of her eyes and facial features were mostly masked under the dim conditions, her unique silhouette was certainly sufficient for immediate identification—at least amongst us.

Readily spotting the signature leather trench coat cloaking the intruder's cavalier pose, Storm cupped her mouth in dismay as she backed away towards my desk and the McCoys wore pensive faces whilst Lynn grew increasingly unstable in her breaths. Carefully, I strengthened my embrace of her and briskly rubbed her arms, striving to mollify her uptight nerves, but her body was still snared in a slight shiver as she peered up at me, eyes tormented.

"Hey, fur ball. Nice suit," Logan suddenly interrupted, his bold voice radiating with considerable sarcasm, and I glanced back towards the door, earning a glimpse of him cockily leaning against the wooden aperture.

"Thanks, Logan," Hank acknowledged with contrasting politeness.

"You think your prisons can hold her?" Lynn challenged, worriedly furrowing her brows together.

"Defence says we have some new prisons. They'll keep them mobile. Be a step ahead," Hank addressed, not too trusting himself with mild skepticism glistening his tone, and Lynn followed to scoff, shaking her head patronizingly.

"You know, her capture will only provoke Magneto," Storm alerted scornfully.

"But it does give you some diplomatic leverage?" I inferred, gazing tentatively at Hank who reciprocated an agonised expression.

"In principle, the President can't negotiate," Hank confided sheepishly and not even the blanket of handsomely groomed fur could disguise his pronouncedly prodigious troubles.

"I thought that's why he appointed you?!" Storm denounced with unprecedented audacity.

"Yes, it is," Raven retaliated bluntly, shooting the unusually aggressive one a stern glare, as Hank merely wallowed in his seeming incompetence.

"But that's not why you're here," Lynn deduced, disconcerted, as her face bled with a horrified expression of enlightenment.

"No, this is," Raven stressed, haphazardly tossing Hank's file over.