Hell in Paradise - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Keri Wilson
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 2

The year had started fairly well for all former and current people of the X. Only a few were worrying about the increase in antimutant feelings. Most were intent on family concerns. Only Tara and Remy had weathered a major crisis. The welfare of their oldest son Richard still played in their minds but they had let him make his own choices no matter how wrong both thought his choice was.

Jubilee was joyously awaiting the birth of the daughter she thought she wouldn't be able to have. In late February Tara became pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. After Renard was born Tara had gone on a 99% failure-proof birth control implant. When she found out she was pregnant, she jokingly blamed Jubilee,

"If yah hadn't accidentally got pregnant ah wouldn't have." Then she laughed.

Remy found it amusing too, and they grinned at each other like two naughty children. Tara giggled every time she saw her friends' shocked expressions when she first told them the news

Their old friend Caleen had grinned and then threw a party for them. She felt good for them; they had received a negative shock with their oldest son, now things had balanced out a bit.

Then the next month Kitty and Piotr announced that they were expecting their third child. This lead to much amusement in the other "schools", the teachers of the "baby school" seemed to be on a kick to increase their number of students, the hard way.

Spring moved into summer and the antimutant activities dramatically increased. The fear of this hatred touched even the residents of LeBeau Prep. Both students and teachers worried about what could happen to mutants like themselves if things continued to worsen. Young Roman LeBeau started having nightmares almost every night.

In early July Jubilation Lee gave birth to her daughter. She named her daughter Quing Tao. She had lately felt a strong interest in her cultural background and decided that her last child would have a Chinese name. All the younger children, including Renard LeBeau, though, found the name difficult to pronounce. Renard called her Gwen and this quickly became the child's nickname.

Two weeks later the first assault occurred. It was a deceptively peaceful assault at first. What Tara had dreaded for years finally happened. Senator Kelly found out who his daughter was. He placed a call to the school and asked to see her. Tara reluctantly agreed. Hoping desperately that her fears would not come true.

The next day a law passed congress that called for the interment of any mutants connected with outlaw activities. Senator Kelly voted for this bill. One week later he arrived at the school with the military and several large Sentinels.

Tara and Remy quickly put the Defensive Plan into action. They had always prepared for the possibility of using it, but had never had to before, for real, not since the school had opened. Having allies across the spectrum, from good to shady to dark; had kept any "wise guys", as Kitty put it, from their door, until now.

The children were all sent down to the emergency quarters in the subbasement. The older children were in charge of the younger ones. Then the adults split into offensive and defensive teams. Piotr and Remy took the offensive. They were hoping to hit them strong enough that they wouldn't get to the house: where the defensive team was prepared to take a final stand- Tara, Kitty, and Jubilee.

Piotr paced back and forth unable to take the build up before the battle. Kitty didn't like that reaction in Piotr. It would throw him off. He couldn't afford that at this moment. She was at a loss at what to do to get his mind in the right battle mode. It was starting to throw off her mental preparations. She had to just ignore him and hope he wouldn't mess up. She went through her steps again. Mind clear. Think of nothing...

Jubilee could not stop thinking about Lotan and Louis. Oh God had the Academy been hit already? She readied herself but knew she wouldn't be at her best.

Remy took a long at Tara while they were preparing to take their positions. He saw the worry in her beautiful emerald eyes. It echoed the feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Mon coeur..." He breathed.

She came close. He quickly embraced her tight and kissed her with all the feeling he had. She held onto him and responded with the same passion. Then with a last squeeze they parted. Taking a last look back, Remy went out the front door.

Remy was hit by a stun blast, barely after he cleared the front steps. Kitty and Jubilee weren't able to hold Tara back; she flew to Remy's rescue. The last words Tara heard before the stun blast hit her in the back were, "Full strength on her!" Reflexively, she curled her body while losing consciousness, so there would be no possibility of injuring the babies, or causing premature labor. A Sentinel bashed Piotr to nconsciousness.

Then someone yelled at the house, that if the rest of them surrendered they would not be harmed. They recognized Gyrich's voice. Jubilee looked at Kitty; "I don't believe that guy about anything!" Kitty nodded. They knew what they had to do.

They were able to hold out for a while, but then Jubilee stood in the doorway just a second too long and was hit by a stun blast, a little washed over Kitty too, making her reflexes sluggish. She was soon hit by a second blast. She phased enough before it hit her so it wasn't full strength, but with the effects of the first one it was enough to knock her out. Kitty dropped to the floor unconscious.

Gyrich had found out the layout to the school and sent the military down to the subbasement with orders to stun any child over 3 years. Gyrich went through the dorm rooms and especially the teacher's rooms, looking for any incriminating evidence of any illegal activities. He tossed papers down with disgust when nothing on them pointed to anything even hinting of prosecutable charges. Nothing in the computer files either! He banged his hand on the keyboard and slammed the computer off the table. To assuage his rage he knocked over a bookcase and kicked a potted plant off a table that happened to be near the front door. The pot broke with a satisfying loud crack as it impacted the floor.

The children, with the help of the many security measures, and their emerging powers, were able to hold out for a short time. They quickly tired though, were stunned, then carried to the front of the house. Kitty and Jubilee, still unconscious, were carried out also. Everyone was gathered together in the front of the house, while three more large military transports arrived.

Tara awakened to find she was lying on her back in the grass beside her father's car. She looked up and saw her father staring down at her. She got up quickly and although her head was still swimming from the strong stun blast she kept herself steady on her feet. "Why are yah doing this?" she asked her father.

"Mutants are dangerous. And the ones that aren't are in danger from groups from most normal people. Most people fear these frightening powers. Children will be safer away from them in camps."

He then told her he had used his authority to have her placed under house arrest in his home just outside of Washington D.C. The rest of the students and teachers were to be taken away to internment camps.

Her protests to the children's innocence, at least, were to no avail. Tara felt sick, she thought she was seeing her husband, children, friends, their children and the other students for the last time. Only the twins she would be having in November, would be all that was left of her family.

She pleaded with her father for her own children and the other children. "Some of them are your own grandchildren, would yah do this tah your own grandchildren? Tah punish an infant or child just for a genetic difference, why?" What have they evah done tah you?" If yah have any humanity, you'll let the children alone, an' at least let those of us who are accused of 'outlaw activities', defend ourselves in a court of law, it's our right under the constitution!"

Henry Peter Gyrich, who headed up the military on this raid retorted, "Mrs. LeBeau, or should I call you by your outlaw name, 'Rogue'... You forget that the law that allowed us to relocate the Japanese Americans during World War II is still on the books. This is perfectly legal. You have no right to a trial, but if you want one so bad, I'm sure we can make some special arrangements, can't we Senator; we wouldn't want to deprive your daughter, would we now?"

"Enough Gyrich!" Senator Kelly yelled, then he responded to his daughter, "Gyrich is right about the law, but you needn't worry about the children and infants, they and any pregnant woman or mother of a child under two, will be merely sent to relocation centers. Schools will be provided for the children and everyone will have medical care. Anyone not meeting the criteria for those centers, or juveniles over fourteen with known outlaw activities will be sent to work camps, but no one will be executed. We do have a list of a few out and out criminals, who when caught, will be put on trial for crimes against humanity, and if convicted, depending on the nature of their crimes, and the cases' outcome, they could be executed. Everyone here, though, can rest assured that they aren't on the list." The last he said loud enough for others around them to hear, then leaning in close to his daughter he whispered to her, and "not even your husband, daughter." Then in a carrying voice he said, "I am sure you are familiar with the names on the list..."

Gyrich started to object, that list was confidential, but then closed his mouth and decided to watch for reactions. If any of them showed any emotions for any of the names, and he knew they would... He could use it for evidence that they were hiding information, which would allow him to beat the location of those other muties out of them. Especially the senator's son-in-law. That mutie was getting off easy. Kelly made sure that his son-in-law wouldn't be on the list. It'd be easy though, Gyrich knew, to find an excuse to "question" LeBeau.

"Magneto, of course, is the most wanted, but we haven't been able to locate him, do you know where he is?" Senator Kelly asked everyone.

Magneto's name caused an emotional reaction from almost everyone. Tara knew where he was, but she wasn't about to tell them. She had learned from Remy how to keep an expressionless face in moments like these so her face betrayed no reaction, but in her thoughts she let her emotions run. At least ah know he's still free, she thought, and his family, his daughters Amber, and Wanda, son Pietro, daughter-in-law Crystal, granddaughter Luna, her friend Hana and her parents Caleen and Toshi, on vacation at the Inhumans moon colony.

" Apocalypse, Mr. Sinister, Mystique- also known as Raven Darkholme, among other names..." Senator Kelly continued.

Tara thought ah knew she be in there somewhere, mama, ah hope you're nowhere in this country, at least. Ah hope they don't catch yah, despite all the horrible things yah did, in your own way yah did love me like ah was your daughter.

"Sabertooth, also known as Victor Creed."

Just can't muster any sympathy for him; be bettah if they did catch him. He's caused so much pain for so many people physical and emotional, and he's killed all those people. But even ah draw the line at excutin' him. Permanent imprisonment in solitary for the rest of his life is more what he deserves.

"Wade Wilson, a.k.a. Deadpool..."

Humph, no surprise that lunatic is on the list Rogue thought, nearly sneering with disgust. Remy and she had run-ins with him on a few of secret missions for the X-men, both before and after they semi-retired.

"Fredrick J. Dukes, a.k.a. Blob, Mortimer Tonybee, a.k.a. Toad, Dominic Petros, a.k.a. Avalanche..."

Some of mama's old partners, two of them, at least. They didn't say Pyro, so ah guess they know he died of the legacy virus. She knew that they would imprison mutate as well as mutant, any "parahuman". She thought of Carol Danvers, they'd get her too.

Tara hadn't thought of Carol in a while. She wondered where Carol was. Last Tara had heard, she was back in Boston with her parents, but that was years ago. Heard from Pietro though, that she's still listed as a reserve Avenger. Pietro said once you're listed as one they don't take you off, unless you die or go bad.

Professor Xavier told me when Magnus got her memories, emotions, and psyche out of mah head, Carol got all the old emotions back. Well ah guess it's too much tah hope she forgave me. Ah'm probably just a bad memory tah her, one she'd just as soon not remember. For all ah know she coulda gone back with the Avengers or whoever. Ah haven't asked in years.

The military had reacted quickly. They put neutralizing cuffs on everyone but the toddlers and infants. The cuffs being put on Tara brought her thoughts back to the moment. Tara suddenly felt the weight her five months pregnanacy, nearly falling to her knees. She caught herself though, but was momentarily breathless from the exertion.

"Now these cuffs are a major improvement over the old collars. Our scientists have done extensive studies and have been able to guarantee that they won't cause any ill effects in mutants, they merely shut the powers down." Senator Kelly told his daughter.

Tara thoughts boiled, you better hope to hell that they don't harm mutants or I'm going to make sure you regret this.

Then she watched helplessly beside her father as the military forced everyone else from the school into three big military trucks.

Remy yelled to Tara, just before they forced him into the transport, "Je t'aime toujours, Tara, ma cherie!"

She felt tears blurring her sight. "Ah love you forever too, Remy." she said softly. She knew that even if she yelled back, he'd not be able to hear her above the children crying and the military people yelling orders at each other.

"We have to leave now too," Senator Kelly said. Wordlessly she followed him to his waiting limousine.

As the car pulled out of the drive, she looked back, with tears of anger and helplessness blurring her vision. Looking for what she thought was the last time, at what had been home for the past nineteen years.