The X-Project

Moira is trying to catch her breath after a very busy morning on Muir when an uninvited and very unwelcome visitor chooses that moment to appear. Moira doesn't have any idea what Gideon wants, but knows that she can't let him anywhere near her patients - or her daughter. She goes out to meet her "uncle", and after some verbal sparring, gets the opportunity to do something that Nathan and a large number of other people have probably been yearning to do for months.

Yes. She shoots him. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop Gideon from getting what he wants.


Moira groaned and rubbed the back of her neck as she crept out of the nursery. It had been a long day and not even the lingering sense of relaxation from the holidays had been able to compensate for the frantic pace she'd been in all morning. On top of a new patient, Rachel had been fussy, missing her father and just plain old cranky.

But now things would finally be able to settle down. Maybe she'd take a break and catch up with Curt and his family...

The door to her office was suddenly yanked out of her hand and she blinked up at the security guard--Mark--on the other side.

"Dr. M, we may have a situation," he said.

Looks like she spoke too soon, she thought, groaning.

"Situation? Wha' kind o' situation?"

He gestured for her to follow him and she kept up with his quick pace. "Remember those files you and your husband gave us earlier? The people to look out for?" Mark waited for her to nod before continuing as he ushered her into the main security room. "We've just spotted one of the gentlemen on the docks. Camera 12B caught him as he docked."

"Who is it?" Moira asked, peering over the shoulder of another security guard to look at the video playing on the nearest screen.

"One Gideon Faraday by the looks of it," he responded, grimly enough to indicate that he had indeed read the dossier that had contained the pictures.

Moira jerked back, cursing. "Gideon! Oh God..." She gave him a horrified look. Given Gideon's powers, this could be a dreadful situation. "Mark, start th' lock down procedure now. I want as many o' our patients tha' can be moved down ta th' bottom level." She had to get her patients out of his synching range, and hope that the calculations she'd made as to his range, based on the X-Men's mission reports, were accurate. "Those tha' cannae be moved far, put them in th' shielded 'oldin' cells for a brief time--explain there's an emergency situation ta th' nurses, they'll know wha' ta do an' say ta keep everyone calm." The shielding was unlikely to stop him from synching to them, but at least it would give the patients themselves a measure of protection.

"This guy as dangerous as the files said?"

The look in her eyes was hard. "Probably more so."

~~

"Moira? Mo--there you are!" Curt appeared suddenly around a corner, coming rapidly from the clinic. "What's going on?"

"We've got a dangerous mutant on th' island," she responded swiftly. "I'm nay sure wha' he's doin' here but we're goin' inta lock down mode."

"Anything I can do?"

"Take Rachel an' yer family an' go down ta th' bottom layer o' th' Institute." Moira turned and grabbed his hand. "I need ye ta keep her safe, Curt," she said quietly, the fear evident in her voice. "I dinnae know why he's 'ere but I cannae let him get near 'er."

"I...wait, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be holing up with the rest of us, away from the deranged madman--whoever he is--outside the castle walls? Waiting for the X-Men or someone?"

"Gideon synchs up ta mutant powers," she said, propelling him down the hallway. "They emergency signal ta th' mansion 'as been turned on but we're nay sure when they'll get 'ere. An' Nathan's in another country right now."

They stopped next to a dark wooden door and Moira quickly fished out a key from her giant key ring. It creaked open, a sign that it hadn't been opened in some time and she flicked the lights on as they entered.

It was an old den that seemed to be part library and part gun collection. Rifles lined the wall next to shelves that overflowed with dusty old books and the walls were decorated with animal heads that grinned down at them.

"My Da's study."

"Your going to shoot him with a rifle?" Curt asked, staring at her incredulously.

"Nay, dinnae be silly. God only knows if they still work an', besides, they're a bit unwieldy." Another key was taken off the key ring and it turned out to open one of the desk drawers. "I dinnae plan on shootin' anyone but I... he's nay someone I want ta face unprepared."

Grimly, Moira removed a handgun from the drawer and quickly loaded it. "A 'gift', from Nathan. He gave it ta me right after one o' his many visits years ago. Wanted me ta 'ave somethin' else ta protect meself wit' besides musty old 'untin' rifles. I keep this one up, jus' in case."

Suddenly grateful for how deep lab coat pockets were, she dropped it in one and took a deep breath. "Make sure th' lock down goes as planned, ye know th' procedures as well as I do. We dinnae come out from under it until Gideon's gone, aye?"

"Nothing I can say will stop you?"

"Nay really."

"You've taken precautions, I assume?"

Moira gave him a look. "Th' amount o' windows in this place is scary," she said, a small smile peeking out. "I think I'll be covered well enough by our security in case somethin' happens. He's 'ere for a reason an' I aim ta find out wha' it 'tis."

Curt looked away and then sighed, glancing back. "Be careful, you crazy woman."

~~

Gideon's progress towards the castle was slow, leisurely. He paused every so often, as if to assess his surroundings, or listen to something. A slight smile appeared on his features after a few minutes, as if what he was hearing - or not hearing - came as no surprise to him.

Moira stopped on the other side of the front doors, leaning her head against them for a second. A hand fell on her shoulder and she peeked up at Mark, who nodded at her.

"The men are in place, Dr. M. Are you sure you have to go out there alone?"

"Fairly sure, aye. I'm nay sure wha' he's playin' at this time but I dinnae think I'll get much out o' him if I show up wit' a whole group, armed at tha', behind me." And she needed to stop him on this side of the castle, well short of the clinic. There were no two ways about that.

"You'll be covered in case anything happens. Please be careful."

Squeezing his hand, she waited until he slipped away before opening the door and heading down to meet her 'uncle'.

"Hello again, Moira," was the greeting she received, calm and forthright, as if they had run into each other on the street in New York, merely by chance. Gideon looked around, that slight smile still playing on his lips. "This is a lovely island. I've always so appreciated Scotland."

"Gideon. Aye, Scotland 'tis a lovely country." She stopped just past the steps and crossed her arms over her chest, staring at him evenly. "Shame ye willnae enjoy Muir Island for long. Wha' are ye doin' 'ere?"

"Why, I came to see you, of course. You and my great-niece. I thought it would be less disruptive," Gideon said evenly. "To come now, while Nathan is in Kazakhstan."

The implications of him making it so clear that he knew precisely where Nathan was weren't lost on Moira, but her knowing didn't mean she had to react. "Again, sadly, ye'll nay be seein' me for verra lon' an' ye'll certainly nay be seein' me daughter." Moira was confident in that. Even if he got through her, he'd be stopped the second he would enter the first hallway.

"Precisely how many mutants do you have in your clinic?" Gideon tilted his head, getting that listening look again. "Quite a few. Some very interesting powers, as well. Almost close enough to touch. And Rachel... what a mind she has, Moira. What a remarkable mind."

Dropping her hands to her sides, she glared at him. "Wha' are ye doin' 'ere, really? Come ta do ta Nathan wha' ye did before? I'm surprised ye're willin' ta get yer 'ands tha' dirty. Last time ye jus' pointed his family out ta th' killers."

"I wouldn't harm a hair on her head. Or yours," Gideon said, calmly and almost implacably. "She is far too valuable. And you have a few childbearing years left."

Unbelievbly, she started laughing. "Would ye listen ta yerself?" Moira asked, putting her hands in her pockets to warm them up. "How many times were ye dropped on yer head as a child, Gideon? Th' sheer amount o' brain damage is 'ard ta comprehend. My daughter an' I are outside o' yer consideration so ye might want ta forget tha'."

"Brain damage," Gideon said, almost consideringly. He glanced down at his watch, casually, checking the time. "I thought you'd appreciate the honesty, Moira. You seem like the straightforward type. Not easily led, like Nathan."

"I appreciate honesty. I jus' think yer a bloody loon, tha's all. Jus' like Magneto is a few ducks short o' a row." Moira shook her head. "I suggest ye leave now an' tha's th' only warnin' ye'll get from me."

"Magneto," Gideon said. "Interesting philosophy. Poor execution. But fascinating to watch." He looked back up, meeting her eyes levelly. "I do believe you have more intrinisic intelligence than my nephew, Moira. You're doing your very best not to engage me here."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Do ye think ye scare me?" Moira asked. "Ye may be able to sense them, but my patients are all out of yer range. Now, get th' hell off my island before I make ye."

"Are you that sure that you know my range?" was Gideon's casual reply.

"I'm a bloody genius, Gideon. Besides, circumventin' my defenses will take time." Calmly, Moira pulled out the hand gun and pointed it at him, safety off. "Longer than it'll take me ta shoot ye if ye so much as take a step forward."

"Ah, yes. This is where you remind me that you're not a medical doctor and hence didn't take the Hippocratic Oath." Gideon's voice was mildly amused, but his eyes were cool. "Do you know, Moira," he said after a moment, very deliberately, "that Nathan's memory has some element of truth when it comes to a certain incident with a snow shovel? Of course," he went on, almost conversationally, "he didn't actually assault his father. I happened to walk in just at that very opportune moment and froze the shovel with his own telekinesis."

"Interestin'. I'm glad he did try ta assault th' old bastard. Ta bad he dinnae connect." She fired a warning shot at his feet before taking aim again. "Ye know where yer boat is, I would suggest 'eadin' there now."

Gideon glanced at his watch again, apparently heedless of the warning shot. "Saul and I decided at that point that it was time for Nathan to be on his own. So we put him on a freight train headed for Anchorage. I'm not sure where the memory of the trucker came from... most likely a fabrication."

"Or maybe there's somethin' tha' ye dinnae know 'bout," she said softly. She was torn. This man was the cause of a lot of trouble. Attacks on her family, the reason Nathan's previous family had died... he was dangerous and evil. But a part of her was still hesitant to shoot.

Gideon looked at the castle, smiling faintly, and then turned back to Moira. "I kept a very close eye on him while he was in San Francisco, of course," he said lightly. "Couldn't lose track of him. The preparations for sending him to New Mexico were coming along nicely."

"Dinnae ye 'ave any free time?" Moira scoffed. "Ye need a life."

"Mistra's training program was so very interesting," Gideon said, meeting her eyes unwaveringly. Almost intently, as if he was waiting for a reaction. "One of the empaths was kind enough to let me sit in on a few of Nathan's conditioning sessions. As part of my consulting duties, of course."

"Ye bloody bastard..."

The gun wavered slightly, dropping as she stared at him in horror and anger. Gideon smiled a little and took a step forward--to do what, she wasn't certain, but it did make her feel a little better when she smoothly brought it back up and fired off a shot.

Gideon stumbled, nearly falling. He regained his balance with surprising speed, his hand on his arm, blood seeping out around his fingers. "Well," he said, sounding out of breath. "That was illuminating, Moira. I had wondered, I must admit..."

"If I was goin' ta aim higher?" she asked, lips pressed tightly. "I dinnae miss, if tha's wha' ye were thinkin', so I suggested ye go back ta yer boat before yer brother realizes yer shorter than when he came callin'."

Gideon's eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment. Then he straightened, the smile returning, if a little tighter than before. "A pity," he said, "that we weren't able to talk more, Moira. Still, I believe this was educational for both of us."

And he vanished, in a flash of light that was unmistakably a teleportational effect.

"Bloody fuckin' ponce!" Moira spat, sliding the safety back on as her security people came running from the front doors. "I'm fine, stop fussin'! Ye lot are worse than mother 'ens. Secure th' island, send someone ta me uncle's pub. We're still in lock down, people, an' we'll stay tha' way 'till mornin'."

Moira turned and stomped inside. First, to put the gun up and then to cling to her daughter until the morning came.

"Doctor M," Mark said urgently, coming to her side. "One of the nurses... the new one, Elspeth? She's gone. Doctor Conners is saying that she vanished in front of his eyes."

She stared at him for a second before a stream of curses erupted from her that had some of the younger members of the security team blushing. "Brin' me her file!" she snapped, bolting into the facility. "I need ta check ta make sure nothin' got disturbed or tha' anyone got 'urt."

She heard Mark curse from behind her. "Doctor M, Johns is calling in from your office. Computer's on and the database is open - did you leave it on?"

"Dammit! I certainly dinnae leave it on!" Moira changed direction and nearly bowled over Johns as he stuck his head out of her office. "Bloody bitch, I knew somethin' was off wit' her. Should 'ave followed my gut instincts."

"It's the secure database," Johns said worriedly. "Looks like all kinds of files have been copied, from what I can tell..."

"Oh hell." Moira sat down heavily at her computer. Nathan's files weren't touched but that was because they weren't in there. However, the Pack's medical files from their Christmas checkups were in there, along with enormous amounts of other material. Sensitive material, all of it. Information about her patients that should not be in Gideon's hands, of all people! "I need ta make some calls. Now."