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DECEIT written by Richard 'Kurogo' Palmer
Warning: This Fan-fiction deals with mature such as substance abuse, profanity and violence.
Emma sat in her office with Jean Leveque. A few minutes ago he'd presented her with some rather startling news, "Yes, that's right," Leveque said, "I am Canon. Equilibrium was on a simple retrieval mission. As I'm sure you are aware Ms. Frost Secrets are precious commodities, something not to be taken for granted. If you have a past it does tend to catch up to you." He sat down, "I don't pretend to be proud of what I did, what I had to do, at Asylum 7. But it was necessary."
"How exactly would you call that necessary!?" Emma Shouted, "You are responsible for countless deaths, Kevin's included!"
"Countless deaths for a purpose Ms. Frost." He pulled a large file out of his briefcase and tossed it on her desk, "In that file is listed countless institutions that were devoted to what we only pretended to be… mutant extermination. Each and every facility was shut down by my efforts. The latest being the so called 'Operation Clean-sweep' where your student was held captive." He sat back down; "Asylum 7 gave me the inner workings Miss Frost. It wasn't pretty, but it stopped a holocaust."
What about Kevin and Equilibrium? After Kevin left with that man he was entirely different, power-hungry even."
"Yes, Equilibrium seems to have that effect on people." Canon said, "Equilibrium is your basic bug in the system. He thinks he has authority that he does not. Although I cannot explain Kevin's change in personality I will admit it was Equilibrium that talked him into that unprovoked attack." Canon leaned forward "and I promise he will be dealt with."
At this point Sean opened the door, "Emma line two…"
::Not now:: she said telepathically.
::It's urgent!:: He responded.
"Excuse me." She said to Leveque as she picked up the phone, "Hello? Warren how are you? Yes She's doing fine… What?… Where?… But Warren… Yes, I'll be right there." She hung up the phone.
"Mr. 'Leveque', I have to leave now but this is far from over between us." She stormed out the door and said to Cassidy, "Watch him."
______________
"What the Hell do you think you're doing!?!" Paige stammered.
Kevin took a drag off his cigarette as he attached another piece to his rifle, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking action."
"You can't just kill the guy."
"Why not?" Kevin replied inspecting the chamber.
"It's wrong. Morally and socially wrong." Paige emphasized as she walked towards him.
Kevin finished off his cigarette, "Paige, give me five reason's in alphabetical order why I should give a rat's butt."
Paige sighed, "Okay Kevin, we may have never been that close, and I may still have some issues on how you betrayed my trust when I asked you to help me out with Jono. But I know you; you're better than this. You wouldn't just kill the man in cold blood."
"He killed me in cold blood." Kevin replied as he set the gun down, "Me and everyone I was ever close to, except for Christy. And he's gotten away with it, just as he did for countless other murders. So, again why shouldn't I kill the man who could be likened to Satan himself?"
Paige shook her head, "I thought you didn't even Like guns!"
"More Programming from the Devil, over in Frosty's office." Kevin said as he rummaged through a dresser Drawer by his bed.
Paige sighed again, "Stubborn…" She muttered.
______________
Emma Frost looked through the bulletproof glass as she held the receiver of the phone, on the other end was the man she once knew as Warren Laine, one of the few people she trusted, now he was in an orange coverall prison uniform. "I can't believe it Warren, You lied to me all these years, You even lied to me about your name!"
"Emma when you're wanted By the Feds you don't exactly go around telling people this kind of thing!"
"How could you?"
"I'm sorry, Emma…" Dr. Laine began.
"No, I mean it, how could you? You don't have any sort of ability that would counteract…"
"Its not that hard to get a black market memory implant when you got the right connections. But with your powers how could you not see beyond it?"
Emma shook her head, "I was young, I hadn't gotten used to my powers yet. How did you go about getting a mind implant?"
"There's this great little telepath in China that does that kind thing for a quarter million..." Warren stopped, "Hey that is need to know information!"
"I thought we trusted each other?!"
"We do!" Warren Replied, "I still trust you, why shouldn't you trust me?"
"For one I was just informed that your real name is Walter Kinson." Emma replied.
Warren leaned in close, "Emma, I still find it hard to believe that you didn't find out the whole story after all these years."
"The only mind scans I used on you revealed that you were a Harvard graduate with a degree in Anthropology, a minor in Zoology, and that you had never really been to Vietnam. Nothing more conspicuous than that." She sighed, "look this is beside the point. Why did they put you in here? What did you do exactly?"
Warren looked around nervously, "I'm not at liberty to say." He responded. Emma glared back at him; "look this is a federal prison all right I'd be in a lot worse if I told you why?"
"But Warren…"
"I said I can't tell you why." Warren repeated.
Emma looked shocked, like the thought never occurred to her. This was Warren Laine, one of her best friends, a man she never really had to use her powers on… until now. She quickly searched his mind and then responded, almost shocked, "I see."
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry for it."
::Understandably.:: Emma replied telepathically.
"Look Emma I trusted you back then, when I hardly knew you, and you know why? Because I knew you were a descent person, I knew you would do right and you did. I'd like to believe I did right too, and even though I may spend the rest of my life in here, I'd do it again if I had to." A guard began to walk towards their booth "look, just find some way to break it to Christina." He said as a guard approached, "I don't think Daddy will be able to see her again anytime soon."
Emma nodded. The guard tapped Laine on the shoulder and he hung up the receiver and rose to go. Just before he left he mouthed the words 'goodbye'.
______________
Emma walked into her office and Sean approached her, "how'd it go?" Emma looked back at him. "That badly, eh?"
"It's not so much the fact that he's in prison, it's why."
"Why?" Sean said.
"You have to understand something about Warren, He was a product of the sixties, of revolution. But while other were fighting against Nuclear power and War, he was fighting prejudice, only in a little different way."
"I'm afraid I dannae understan'." Banshee said.
"Warren used computers to hack into government accounts and transfer funds to mutant supporting organizations. But they caught on to him and he fled the country. He returned under the name Warren Laine, the Real Warren Laine died in Vietnam, but Warren had used computers to take over his identity. He's been living the past twenty years as a fraud. And all because he wanted to help the cause."
"He a martyr then, eh?" Sean said.
"That's how he likes to think of it." Emma smiled weakly.
"How'd ye two meet anyway?" Sean asked.
The White Queen shook her head; "It's a long story."
"Try me, lass."
"Some other time maybe." She smiled.
Banshee shrugged as he walked off, "Ye know where to find me if ye change yuir mind."
Emma sat back and though about Warren. Their meeting was one of those chance things. She was hitchhiking to get to upstate New York, to use her powers to make some more money. Warren happened to be the one to stop to pick her up. She was considering just using her powers to find a place to stay; Warren had different ideas however.
"So you been in New York long?" He asked. Emma just ignored him from the back seat.
"That's alright, New York isn't the friendliest place is it. Don't worry, I'm from the Midwest. The heartland of America and all that. I won't bite" he adjusted his mirror, "Do you gotta place to stay?"
"No." Emma said, more on reflex than anything.
"Tell you what, you look like a good kid. I got an apartment uptown. It's in a good neighborhood at least. There's not much there since I had to pack out. But it's paid for, for at least another year. You can stay there if you like, I got no use for it, I've gotta leave for Africa tonight." Emma looked at this man questioningly, she hadn't even begun to use her powers on him, "C'mon what do you say. Free room and board, hard to pass down." he smiled, "Just till you land on your feet."
"Okay," she smiled weakly.
Warren smiled back. A few minutes later they drove up to the building, Warren got out and opened her door, "Here's the key," he said as he handed her the small key for his apartment, "now don't worry, just mail me the bills for the utilities for the first few months. I'll be hard to reach but the payments will get through. Here's the general address." He said as he wrote down on a scratch piece of paper, "And the name's Laine, Warren Laine."
"Thank you Mr. Laine." She smiled.
"Please, Call me Warren." He replied. He got back into his car.
Before he shut he door Emma Frost spoke up, "Warren, if you don't mind me asking, why are you doing this?"
"Well, you kinda remind me of me at your age, my life ahead of me, lotta hope. Besides the place is just gonna collect dust without me." He smiled, "Don't worry kid, I trust you." He closed the door and drove off. Emma walked up the flight of stairs to the apartment. She opened the door and looked around. There wasn't much in here, a phone. A worn out easy chair, a few scattered pots and pans in the kitchen, a mattress, and one small desk lamp placed on the floor. Still this wasn't a bad place to start out.
______________
"Kevin if you won't listen to me maybe I could get Jono to talk some sense into you, or Angelo, God knows he'd have a thing or two to tell you about taking up arms."
Kevin walked across the lawn towards the main building rifle over his back, Paige still trying to talk some sense into him. "You Wanna save someone, Paige, save yourself. Don't get mixed up in this mess. Don't cry for me I'm…"
"No!" Paige yelled, "No, you're not Dead yet, Kevin. You still are capable of laughing at the world and turning the other cheek at the people who insult and degrade you." She paused for a second, "What would Christina say? What would she say if she knew what you were up to?" Kevin stopped. Slowly he turned to Husk, "Kevin, if what you're saying about Canon is true It's obvious he's a rotten Human being. He's done to you more than most people can bear and still you are one of the most energetic and delusionally cheerful people I know. Don't throw that away. You know this isn't right, why not let Miss Frost handle it."
"I'll tell you why." Kevin said, "Because whether she wants to or not there is not a thing she can do to Canon. Her mental powers are good, but Canon can turn you on you closest friend or your own mother with only a few words." Kevin shrugged, "She has no power over him."
"Kevin."
Sequel dropped his rifle, "And neither do I. I'm fooling myself if I think it's that easy. Canon has diplomatic immunity. Killing him would be like and act of War." He looked up at Paige.
She smiled weakly, "Ah'm sorry to have gotten preachy on you."
"No it's no problem, I don't think I could've gone through with it, even without you here. As Much as I hate the guy, he did Bring Christina back. What kind of gratitude would it be to shoot the man?" Kevin picked up the gun and they started to walk back to the dorms, "For the record, I hope you're right. I hope Ms. Frost has what it takes to put that psycho away.
______________
"Ms. Frost?" Monet said, as she entered the office, "I'm just wondering why Mr. Leveque is still here? You two aren't discussing my private life are you?" she sat down "It's not that I don't trust Mr. Leveque but he did visit our home quite frequently. And I would prefer it if you didn't try to exploit him."
Emma almost laughed, "Me, exploit him?" she stood up, "maybe you should do some research into your fathers old friend there. Earlier today he told me he was none other than Canon. The same man who was running that Asylum 7 place where Kevin was put to death several times over."
"Leveque? Canon? Ms. Frost you must be joking. That man was a saint back at home, He and Father were able to tackle some of the country's biggest international problems."
Emma looked back at her, "I'd be very careful with that man, My dear, he is nothing like he seems." She sat Back down, "why don't you send him back in here, I have some business to discuss with him."
"Ms. Frost I'm not your…"
"Now!"
Monet shot Emma an angry look but headed out the door to find Jean Leveque.
Emma sat back down. She thought back to Warren. She could remember their first encounter like it was yesterday. Maybe that's what made the second encounter so odd. It was back when she was schooling the Hellions. As usual they gotten an expert to come in and give a lecture to those whom were interested. At the time she didn't really pay attention to what the man's field of specialty was. She didn't even really pay attention to the name. And maybe that was why the whole thing seemed to catch her by surprise.
"Well it was nice of you to drop by Dr…"
"Laine, Warren Laine." Dr. Laine smiled.
"Yes, thank you Dr. Laine," she smiled, as she did she pondered the familiarity of the name, "Perhaps we can have you came back again next year."
"I'd like that very much Ms. Frost." He said as they approached the cab, "I always knew you'd land on your feet."
A look of surprise came over Emma's face, "Warren? Warren Laine, From New York?"
Warren smiled and nodded. "Why don't you call me sometime we'll have to catch up? Maybe I can offer your students some help in their 'extracurricular activities'."
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't worry about it Emma, I've got connections all over the world now, just call me when you need something." He stepped into the cab and waved goodbye.
Warren was able to offer her and the Hellions a lot of services; he did indeed have a lot of connections. A lot of them seemed to be black market connections but they were a tremendous help all the same. It was surprising how Warren could help her in some areas where even the Hellfire club couldn't. They remained good friends, albeit most of the time it was just over the phone. She found out his devotion to the mutant cause along with his passion for anthropology. He seemed like the perfect gentleman. Almost too good to be true. And now she knew why.
"Ms. Frost?" Leveque said as he entered the room, "you sent for me?"
"Yes, Mr. Leveque, I've come to a decision, whatever your standing is in society you are not above the law. I'm afraid I'm just going to have to report your actions to the proper authorities."
Leveque wandered around her desk, "Well suffice to say, that won't do you any good." He stopped and leaned over her desk, "because I am the proper authorities. Like I said before Asylum 7 was an ugly job, but like many things it's gotten me where I am today. And that is indispensable. I have diplomatic immunity in 87 countries, and I'm starting to make due on my promise, Ms. Frost."
"What promise?"
"The promise I made to an eleven year old girl who lay dying in my arms. The promise that he hatred would stop. Even if it's forced to a halt." Leveque stood up; "be that as it may, I'm a reasonable man. And I'm under the understanding that there is someone whom you have long been associated with who is now in prison for a justifiable crime, much like my own." He walked towards the door, "I believe Dr. Laine has done no ill will, His crime was simply that he wanted to make a difference. Now you may be unable to help him, but I on the other hand…" he smiled, "I'm with the US government. And I promise you, all charges will be dropped upon my return."
Emma looked back at this figure; she absolutely could not understand this man. He was responsible for killing his own kind, yet he somehow found the time to find out what he could on her situation and was now willing to help her. She still found Canon to be a loathsome human being, but maybe he did hold some truth to what he said, Maybe he was working for the right ends. Emma had said it once before sometimes it was better to go with the lesser of two evils. Maybe Leveque did have his heart in the right place, but just had his eyes blinded by a belief that the ends would always justify the means.
"Is that acceptable?" Leveque questioned.
"Yes," Emma stammered, "Yes by all means."
"Well than, by the end of today Walter Kinson, AKA Warren Laine, will once again be a free man." He stepped out of her office. And the door slammed shut. Emma thought about it for a minute. She was of course glad her friend was now going to be a free man once again. But she wondered at what cost. She felt like she had just let Magneto out of her office without making so much as an attempt to make him pay for his crimes. In a small way, she dreaded what was to come with the man who called himself Jean Leveque, the man who called himself Canon.
The End
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The legal stuff: The Characters from Generation X and the concept of Mutants and are a product of Marvel comics and it's employees and are used without permission. Christina Laine is based off of the Samurai Spirits character Cham-Cham, Beyond that she's a character of my own creation. Kevin Dallas, Canon, and his Emissaries are all characters of my own creation, all rights reserved.
This Fan-fiction is by no means any subtle attempt to expose the conspiracy of the pink bunnies…, which does not exist! Oh damn now they're going to hunt me down and slap me into submission with a rubber chicken again.
