Anything For A Friend (May 2002)

Two Days Later…

Xavier had never been to Stark Tower and it had been years since he had seen Isabella Stark. He had brought Jean Gray with him as well as Hank McCoy with him. Steve waited for them at the elevator and could barely contain his excitement at having them come. “Hello, I’m Steve Rogers, its great to finally meet all of you,” He said politely. “Well, Captain America himself,” Xavier said with a smile and shook his hand. “This is Jean Gray and Hank McCoy,” he said. Steve smiled and shook both of their hands. Hank was blue ofcourse and furry. Jean gray was in a off white blouse and gray skirt. She wore red-rimmed glasses and her hair was done up. She looked beautiful Steve thought as she showed them in.

Tony, Isabella, Theo and Serena were there and Theo’s eyes goggled at Beast. He had never seen anything like that. “That’s Hank McCoy?” he whispered into Serena’s ear. “He looks like he belongs in a Disney movie,” he whispered.

Isabella had called Charles herself. She had known Charles for years, and had consulted with him when Serena and Theo's powers had emerged, but she hadn't seen him in a long time. He looked the same as she remembered him, if not a little older. Isabella had never met Jean or Hank and she smiled and shook their hands as they all introduced themselves.

"Thank you for coming Charles. This situation is rather delicate and we preferred not to move him."

Serena was excited to meet some of the X-Men. She had grown up with the Avengers. So, to her, it was just something her parents did. However, the X-Men were new and different. Serena was fascinated by Hank McCoy. She glanced at her brother. "I wonder if he always looks like that, or if he can change into a human form, like Bruce Banner with The Hulk?"

Theo thought about that for a moment. “If he could change, why wouldn’t he?” He asked. After the introductions Tony showed everyone to the lab but he told the kids that they needed to find something else to do, this was not for their eyes. Theo was obviously unhappy about that, he wanted to see what they were doing but Tony’s tone of voice was such that he knew he would not be able to argue.

So far, Bucky had not moved from where he sat nor eaten or drank anything. Tony had heightened security as well, just incase Hydra decided to try and get him back. Xavier stepped up to the cell and looked down at Bucky. The others were there as well, everyone looking down at him. He looked up at them grimly and his expression never changed.

“So Isabella, I might begin to think you are becoming quite the collector of World War II relics,” Xavier said. “So, Mr. Rogers, this is James Barnes?” “Yes, James Buchanan Barnes, Bucky. His friends call him Bucky,” he said. James looked up at them and knew they were talking about him. He remembered being called that but it was like that memory was fuzzy and unclear. And then he stood up. Jean Gray was near the bars and watching him.

Serena wanted to stay, as did Theo, but the warning sound of their father’s voice told them now was not a time to argue. They retreated back to her room to watch some tv.

Isabella led the group down to where Bucky was being held. She hated seeing him behind those bars, but it was for his own safety...as well as the safety of everyone else. She stood next to Steve and she affectionately rubbed his arm in support. She gave him a reassuring smile. Steve has done so much for him and had been in their lives for so long that she considered him family.

“Everything is going to be alright,” she told him softly.

Jean Gray was actually going to be part of this. Xavier knew right from the start that James Barnes would react differently to a woman than a man. And then they began.

Steve was worried. Worried and still half in shock that Bucky was still alive. He was happy to see him but horrified at what had been done to him. And very angry with Hydra. Bucky represented his only surviving link to his life during 1945 and his childhood. He did not react to Isabella’s touch be his shoulders did relax to a degree.

Xavier was inside James’s head. Hydra had used an invasive procedure to manipulate and subdue his memories. The danger here was that he could unlock his past but he could not do that without unlocking all of his memories. If he was a friend of Steve Rogers than he likely was a good man. Good men who had done bad things. Alot of them. He would have to live with those memories and deal with the emotional strain of having them. It could break him but he knew it had to be done.

Tony and Isabella had stepped out for a time to make snacks. Hank and Jean were props Xavier used to draw James into his memories. Their presence was vital just as Steve’s was. The kids decided to get some lunch, Serena wanted Rocko’s.

“Can we go mom? Happy can drive us?” Theo asked as she and Tony made sandwiches. He wanted a chocolate shake.

Isabella knew Bucky’s recovery would take time. This was just the first step in what was probably going to be a long process. Bucky was certainly lucky that there was someone like Steve looking out for him. If Steve hadn’t been there that day, he would have been killed for sure.

Tony and Isabella decided to give them some space. They went to the kitchen to make some snacks. Serena was craving a burger from Rocco’s and it seemed Theo wanted one too. Isabella glanced at Tony when they asked if Happy could drive them. Tony shrugged and Isabella looked back at the twins. “Ok, but don’t stay out too late.”

At their booth Theo sat on the outside next to Serena as they waited for their food. Happy sat across from them and because it was near lunchtime, the small diner was fairly busy. Two men in dark suits came in and sat on red bar stools at the counter. A red-headed woman came in after them, also in black, though she wore a skirt and heels. The waitress came and dropped off Their shakes and smiled at them. Serena, Theo and Happy were well known here and Tony had invested into the place after he found out it was in danger of closing. No one knew that ofcourse besides the owners. But the kids were welcome regulars just the same. Theo tried to suck on his shake but his straw had a hole in the side.

“Aw man!” he said and got up and moved to the counter. “Carla, could i get another straw please? Mine’s got a hole in it...another one, I mean,” he said with a grin. However he brushed one of the men that was closest to him and his grin faded. In an instant, in his minds eye he saw something the man had done in his past. He used some kind of metal string and choked a woman with it. It cut into her flesh as she struggled. Her heeled shoes digging into the carpet as her hands desperately tried to get inside, under the string. Her nails clawed at black, padded gloves as she choked and gasped. And then her heels stopped kicking. Theo’s face went white as a sheet as Carla gave him another straw. He backed up slowly with his eyes as big as they would go. He swallowed and turned just as the man turned to look at him. Serena would notice his face and she’d know that he was terrified.

Serena loved Rocco’s. Normally, they ate healthy, like their parents, but every so often they were allowed to indulge their cravings and eat burgers, fries, and drink shakes. Rocco’s was their favorite place and little did they know how close it had come to closing. They had no idea their parents had saved it for them.

Serena sucked on her straw and winced from the coldness of the chocolate shake. It gave her an ice cream headache, but it faded quickly. However, it appeared that Theo was having difficulty with his straw. Serena are a few fries while he went to get another one. She wasn’t paying attractive to the fact that Theo had brushed up against one of the men in dark suits who had come in with the red haired woman. However, she noticed Theo’s face as he walked back over to the table. It was white and he was trembling.

“What is it?” she whispered urgently. “Did something happen?”

Happy looked concerned as well and his eyes shifted to the man that was closest to him. “Theo...what’s wrong?” He whispered. Theo would not look toward the counter and he spoke softly, with a tremble in his voice. “I think those men...they're going to hurt us soon,” he said in a shaky voice. Tears came to Theo’s eyes as he fought back the terror that was building inside his chest. He had felt what the man felt. Cold indifference and annoyance that the woman took so long to die. He felt bile rise up into his throat but he swallowed it all back down.

Outside the window Happy saw others in black suits. Two more men and one more woman, a blonde woman with her hair in a tight bun. The men were all fairly large in build and now that he was paying attention, they all moved as if they could handle themselves in a fight.

“Awww, no phone reception!” A girl in another booth said. When Happy flipped out his phone he saw that he had none either. “I think we’re in trouble,” He whispered.

Serena was well aware of Theo’s abilities and how they worked. For both of them, their powers emerged several years ago and they supported each other. Serena became concerned as Theo indicated that those people were here to hurt them. Then, when Happy realized that there wasn’t any cellular reception she knew they were in trouble. Serena knew she could use her powers to stop them, but that would expose her. However, she was willing to do what she needed to.

“I can use my powers against them,” she whispered to Theo.

“All of them? Serena, you can only make one ball at a time. I saw...I saw him kill a woman with a metal string. He choked her with it and there was blood. So much blood!” He whispered in quick, sharp words and he was on the verge of panic.

“No, they likely won’t harm you, they want their man back...this James Barnes,” Happy whispered. When Serena looked at them again she saw the red-headed woman looking at them. Her green eyes held a coldness to them that made her skin crawl. She knew then that Theo was right. Out of the window she saw 3 more people that wore similar suits. If she used an orb she could hurt them but it would hurt everyone else too. Maybe even kill them. The diner was filled with innocent people. Theo closed his eyes and concentrated. His teeth clenched he tried to send his panic to their mother. “Mother...help us!” He murmured as he winced in pain.

Isabella was standing with Tony and Steve when she suddenly was hit with a feeling of terror. In her mind she heard Theo’s voice calling for help. They were in trouble! Her children were in trouble! Tony must have seen the sudden change in her expression because he became concerned.

“Happy, Theo, and Serena are in trouble. Something’s happening at the diner. We have to go...now.”

Steve, Beast and Jean Gray all went down in the elevator While Tony got into his suit. Once in his suit he picked up Isabella who waited for him from the helipad…

The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes at Serena as if scrutinizing her expression.”We’re made,” she said to the large man next to her. “Take the driver, we’ll get the kids,” she said. Serena saw the man next to her stand up and she saw something dark and metallic in his hand. The woman pulled an odd looking pistol from her side and now the second man stood as well and turned to face them. Happy drew his pistol out.

Now Serena knew Theo could diffuse them. He could use his power to suggest that they sat back down but obviously, what he saw, what that man had done...in the past? Had shaken him.

Isabella’s heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she thought it would break her ribs. She was in a near panic, but she tried to keep herself calm. They would be alright...they had to be alright. She waited anxiously for Tony to pick her up. As soon as he did they shot off towards the diner.

Serena knew she couldn’t use her powers. There were too many people and she might hurt someone. She tried to remain calm, but seeing the gun made her panic. Suddenly a thought came to her.

“Theo! Use your powers of suggestion! Make them drop their weapons and sit down.”

Theo did not want to look at them and from his peripheral vision he could tell that they had stood up. He knew he ‘could’ tell them to sit down but he was so afraid. Afraid of being choked to death by a metal cord, he and his sister both, that he could not bring himself to do it. However when the red-headed woman brandished her weapon at them and one of the men toward Happy all he did was move to use his body as a shield for his sister. Happy threw a plate at the man closest to him and hit him in the face with it. The man’s gun went off and the bullet hit the wall behind them, very near where an elderly couple were eating. People began to scream and shout from the shot.

The woman’s weapon went off but it was more of a ‘pop’, though loud, not so loud as the man’s weapon. It sounded silenced and Serena felt Theo jerk and then he fell limp against her.

Tony let Isabella fall and she landed with a crash among the men and woman in black. “Isabella, I’ve got them, inside...they’re inside!” he said quickly. He had used his infrared vision and saw them. Isabella crashed through the window as Happy began to grapple with the two men in black. The red-headed woman pointed her weapon at Serena but then shifted her aim to Isabella and shot at her. Whatever it was that fired at her glanced off and then she reached once more at her side...for a different weapon?

Chaos suddenly seemed to descend upon Rocco's. Serena screamed when the red-headed woman pointed her gun at them. Theo threw himself in front of her as a shield. Happy threw a plate like a Frisbee at one of the men who had a gun and it hit him in the face. A shot went off and Serena screamed again when a bullet hit the wall behind them.

Isabella's adrenaline was pumping as they neared the diner. Tony dropped her down to the ground and Isabella's skin transformed into a hard metal. She crashed through the front window and anger swelled up inside of her as she saw a red-headed woman pointing a gun at her children. When the woman turned and pointed it at her she didn't move and the shot glanced off of her. However, when the woman began to reach for another weapon, Isabella charged at her full speed and knocked her to the ground. Still in her metal form, she was able to hold her down easily.

"How dare you threaten my children?!"

Isabella’s grip on the woman was like a metal vice, literally. The pressure Isabella put on the woman’s wrist forced her hand to release it and it fell to the floor. People either ran for the doors or hid under their booths. The wait staff ran into the back of the restaurant. Tony blasted one of the men as another used a full automatic weapon on him. The rounds glanced off and Tony blasted him with both beams and flung him across the street where he hit a telephone pole. The last man and woman who also fired at him got one repulsor each and were flung back into a large, black SUV. They did not get back up. Inside Happy knocked out the first man with a hard punch to the jaw and then kicked and then punched the second in quick succession. The man’s weapon went skittering away on the tiled floor and then happy kicked him again then finished him with a hard strike to the face.

“Ah, Isabella Stark...I’ve always wanted to meet you,” The woman said. “The darts are poisonous. And there is only one antidote. I don’t have it ‘on me’ ofcourse,” she said with a grin. Her grin faded into pain though as Isabella squeezed her wrists. “Ahhh...ahhhh!” The woman groaned. “Give us back The Soldier and I will call it in for the boy,” she said between groans. Tony peered into the window.

Serena had seen video clips of her parents fighting before, but she had never been in the middle of such a fight. She was unsure of what to do and just hid under the table with Theo. As she looked at him she saw there was a dart in his back. He was unresponsive and his face was pale.

"Theo? Theo?!" She began to panic as she felt he might be dead or dying.

Isabella tightened her grip on the woman's wrists, but did not let them break...not yet. She had seen that Theo had been hit in the back by a dart, but she was not concerned. Isabella knew that there was a part of Theo's mutation that would protect him from the poison. However, she would not let the woman know that.

"So, it's Bucky your after. Well...I don't think we're going to give him up."

The woman’s eyes grew large but only for a moment. Then her dark confidence was back. “Then you can kiss your son goodbye,” She said with a snarl as Isabella continued to apply pressure to her wrists. The others finally made it and Steve and Beast made certain no one got away. Tony Came in through the hole that Isabella made in the window and wall. He moved over and picked up Theo.

“Serena, are you hurt? What happened to Theo?” He asked. As he went to a knee and looked him over. Jean Gray stepped into the diner but saw that everything seemed under control. Police sirens began in the distance. He looked at Isabella and the woman. “What’s wrong with him!?” Tony growled and looked angrily at the woman.

Isabella said nothing else to the woman. She just held her down until the others arrived on the scene. As the police came in, Isabella moved and allowed the woman to be handcuffed. Her skin then changed back to normal. She looked over and saw Tony with Theo. Theo still wasn't moving, but Isabella figured it would just take some time. She hoped she was right about this...dear God she hoped she was right.

Suddenly, he began to move and relief swept over Isabella. She moved over to where Tony was with Serena and Theo. "He's going to be fine."

Back at the tower they all met up once more. Steve went and got pizza and salad for everyone. Thoe was in his bed and awake but he still didn’t feel like moving much. He did drink a copious amount of water though. ANd had to tolerate Isabella asking if he needed anything every 15 minutes or so. Serena was there with him as they watched tv.

The Professor was still working with James but he stopped to get a bit to eat and something to drink. While everyone was at the table Steve went in to talk to Bucky. Bucky was laying down on his side in the dark when Steve came up to the bars.

“Bucky, when you fell...I thought you were dead,” Steve said. “I thought I was too. I...that’s where I lost my arm. I didn’t remember anything until I woke up in the hospital. But it wasn’t a hospital…” Bucky said softly. “I’ve missed ya Buck, I’ve felt...alone, ever since I came out of the ice, Steve said. Steve brought over a chair and took a seat near the bars.