It's been a whirlwind of a week for Kitty. Between ninja-ing the Weapon X agent in Sinjin's room to apartment shopping with her boyfriend, change has certainly been on the horizon. And if you're going to change one thing about your life, why not change everything?
Which is how the young brunette finds herself sitting on the couch in Heather's living room. She's oddly overdressed for the occasion thanks to a slew of job interviews — all of which Kitty, undeniably played the game. Another reason she looks painfully feminine today in her willowy yellow chiffon dress, and incredibly coiffed curly hair pinned in just the right places.
Her legs cross at the ankles and her lips purse lightly. "You have a lovely home," it's a standard thing she's virtually programmed to say. "I know it's kind of weird that I'm here. David just thought I should talk to you. Probably." Her eyes turn downwards to the floor.
*
"Thank Sue and the designers here at the Baxter Building," Heather says with a laugh. "I'm afraid my decorating skills run more toward clothes lines and contour maps, that sort of thing. And, of course, the occasional bear skin or sleeping bag." She brings over a tray with a coffee service and cups and a plate of some odd-looking cookies — madeleine cakes.
"But it really is a treat to live here. David said you might drop in. I'm so glad you did." Heather pours the coffee before she takes a seat on one of the chairs across from the couch. "How can I help you?"
*
"Well," Kitty manages a sly half-smile, "I would guess you've seen the Bugle," her gaze lifts. "I made the cover, apparently." The smile turns self-deprecating. "I mean, on one hand, it was kind of fantastic. It's an amazing picture, but on the other? Well, in short order, I would guess that I'm going to be outed. It's a matter of time."
Her cheeks puff out. "For a long time I focused on being part of a team and learning. And there was a season for that. But." And it's a weighty but for her, "I expected more from those that I followed — those that I learned from." She swallows hard. "It could be that it's time to… branch out… to get people who genuinely want to make a difference. I just," her eyebrows draw together, "don't really know how to make that happen. I mean, I have skills. I see that now. I just need to find a place to use them."
"…or create one," she tacks on.
*
"I saw, yes. Congratulations. David was rather proud of you, by the way. He speaks very well of you. He's not generally expressive about people." Heather's expression is warm. "I don't know if he told you what I did before I came to New York?" She pauses and offers Kitty the plate of cookies.
*
Kitty's cheeks warm with the warm words. "David is too kind to me, but it means a lot that he says anything positive." Her smile turns into her trademark smirk, "Honestly, all I did was bring him trouble, so it's kind of awesome to hear that he was proud. And not just to my face." She grasps one of the cookies and nibbles at it before shaking her head, "He didn't. To be honest, I don't know much besides that he thought you were someone I ought to talk to…"
*
"My job was managing a team of people with special talents, people much like yourself and David. David worked with us for a time. My husband was the man in charge and I handled the day to day operations, planning, personnel management. That kind of thing. And, of course, all the red tape." Heather makes it sound terribly ordinary. "I don't have any such talents, myself. Simply a knack for organization. So, I expect that's why he suggested me. You say you want to use your skills, Kitty, but the question is — to what end? What does that look like to you? To whom do you want to be answerable at the end of the day?"
*
The last questions have Kitty humming softly, "Well, I want to fight for justice. Not because someone else tells me to, but because I believe it. We can't let people like William Stryker dictate what people like us should or shouldn't do. I want to see change. I want people to see us differently. They're still afraid of us, but maybe we can help them. Maybe we can hallway some of that fear." She frowns some at the thought of answering to someone, "I think… maybe there's a way we can be answerable to each other. Some way to be responsible to and for one another. I don't know. I don't even know if anyone would care to follow…"
*
"People are always willing to follow, just as they're always willing to lead." Heather tucks her feet up under her as she settles into her chair, coffee cup cradled in her hands. She looks much closer to Kitty's age than David's, especially in jeans and a casual shirt. Still, she seems certain when she speaks.
"I've already advised David not to accept the offer of amnesty. I may have used some profanity," Heather admits, with a little snort. "I worked for my own government for twelve years, and I don't regret it. We had good people over us. We also were all but neighbors of Weapon X. You could see what your options are in the government, in the absence of the Avengers. But the climate for that is poor. A mandate allows you protection, with regard to the action you need to take, but leaves you vulnerable to the very people you're working for. You could find some alternate funding. Look for connections that might give you some protection. Or, you can simply be cautious. Move quietly, within the law to the best of your ability."
*
Kitty can feel her lips edge down in consideration. She tries to start again, "The bigger issue is it's hard to know who's oversight you're under. Like… it seems like Weapon X was okay from some vantage points, but what they were doing was firmly in the 'not okay' box of the chart, you know?" She forces a grim smile, "I'd be happy to find connections, but only if those connections got it. It's not that I don't want to work with the people I have in the past, it's that in all of this the people that moved on it weren't the people I thought would. I am…" her eyebrows draw together "…disappointed in any government oversight over this project. I'm disappointed that those I thought would engage with it didn't really. And I need to have the tools to do so without being encumbered."
*
"So you need to find resources — people who think much the way you do who may not have the ability or the freedom to act. People willing to trust you, which may take time. And… this work is full of disappointment, Kitty. Disappointment and conflict. So much of my job was saying no, or making people do what they didn't want to do for the greater good, making people angry with me, making enemies. And that was people I liked, people I wanted to like me." Heather exhales slowly. "I'm not saying you can't be friends with the people you work with — and sometimes the work is so rewarding and the friendships are very close — but, at the end of the day, that comes second to doing what is right. Are you ready for that kind of conflict? Always balancing being let down on one hand and being the focus of everyone's frustration on the other? Who's going to support you?"
*
Kitty squarely sets her gaze on Heather's. "Look. I know you don't know me well, but conflict is something I don't shy away from. Not when it comes to doing what's right. I don't know what David told you about me, but unlike some of Weapon X's kidnapees, I was picked up protesting in Louisiana. I had no friends come with me. My parents disagreed with what I was doing. But some things just are the right things to do. Not for the team. Not for me. For everyone. They're just right."
Her gaze turns downwards, "It's not about friendship it's about following those passions and seeing them through. Right now something is attacking New York and there isn't a capacity to deal with it. There are pockets of people engaging, but no entity actively able — physically able — to engage. Not that I know of. SHIELD set up a perimeter, but vampires plague the streets. Demons linger. I've even heard of the dead rising from their graves. Bad stuff is happening. People deserve to feel safe. To live."
She swallows hard at the mention of support, "Support in which way? Like.. my decisions?" She frowns slightly.
*
"I'd be telling you to go back to school or run for office if I didn't think you had the capacity for this, Kitty." Heather looks approving. "But I'd be no help at all if I didn't ask. Your perspective, your direction, seems like a good one. You're right that something more is needed. And by support, I mean just that. You're not going into this alone? That can be very hard. Mac and I were a team. You can do this on your own but it really helps to have backup. At the very least, having someone you trust to help you out of bed the next day when you've gotten your ass kicked, that helps."
*
"Oh! Like… every day support! Yeah, I definitely have that," Kitty seems to brighten at the prospect. "I'm actually," her eyebrows draw together, "moving in with my boyfriend. We're looking for a place as we speak. Somewhere in Brooklyn. Somewhere normal." She manages a tight-smile. "And I thiiiiink he'd be supportive of this." Her eyes turn up to the ceiling. "He's support of everything else I do. I mean legitimately everything."
*
Heather laughs at that description and Kitty's expression. "That matters more than you can know, Kitty. Living somewhere normal is also a very good idea. It's easy to get drawn into distractions, to forget our original purpose. Not because we're bad people but because we can want to help too much. Overextend ourselves. Go too far down a path chasing the right thing." She drinks her coffee, looking thoughtful.
"You should take a look at your resources. The people you know. What you each can do. Who's willing to do what. What you can leverage, sell, or barter. Equipment. Technology. You have some information still not disclosed from Weapon X — that can be traded or leveraged. I've been following the money trail, I'll see where I end up. It's slow going. You should avoid rejoining or approaching the program in person but turning a lawyer loose on them on behalf of a group might get you some funding. You should consider what you want to do, who you want to join you, since it doesn't sound like you're ready to join anyone else yet."
*
"Alright, I can do that. I'll have to think about if anyone is interested in joining us in… whatever.. this thing is. People need heroes. They need us, but they need us to choose to work together. Nothing forced anymore, just an acceptance of the mantle to do something else." Kitty nods solemnly at the notion of the lawyer, "I could. I have mixed feelings. On one hand, coming out with the story through a reporter might actually be more effective. Sell the story and out it to the public. Because it's the right thing… but… I don't know."
*
"Definitely talk to the lawyer first. You'll need a lawyer anyway. We had government lawyers and we made use of them. You never know what trouble you'll find yourself in. If you find one who's a mutant, or who works with mutants, you'll be better off. I'll lend you the money for the retainer — you'll probably be very poor if this is what you plan to do so I don't expect it back, but I know you'll want to say it's a loan." Heather's smile makes her green eyes sparkle.
There's an air of nostalgia in her voice when she speaks again. "I envy you. I know that's going to sound strange, but I do. This has the potential to be a great adventure, with a lot of good done along the way. I'm sorry for the way things ended for Mac and I — I don't know if David mentioned that Mac died, doing this job — and if we'd know about Weapon X, you have to know we'd have stopped it. But it was good while it lasted, even when it was bad. And I think that's all I can ask. So, yes. I'm a little envious."
*
Kitty's lips tighten into a smile and her chin drops. "I… let me figure out if I have people on side first?" There's another flicker of her lips and she manages, "I'm sorry. About your — er — Mac." She's not entirely sure of what that relationship was, but she can understand loss. She nods slightly again. "Well, you're welcome to advise as you're able. Honestly. I know you have other things you do — " what? She doesn't really know. "But if you're able to advise. I think David already said he would."
*
"If David's available, I'll be available," Heather promises. "With any luck, once his head is cleared, he'll be here more often." She actually blushes slightly at that. "Well. All the time. When he's not someplace more interesting," she allows. "Fortunately, Sue won't kick us out for that. Not everyone is so understanding."
*
"Yeah… it's harder to find," Kitty's gaze turns upwards as she attempts to find a tactful way of saying it, "landlords who are progressive about such things." Her lips twitch and she manages a small nod as she pushes up to a stand. "I'll talk to those in my acquaintance and see if anyone is interested in forming a team. Anyone." Her grin softens.
*
"Pick a mission," Heather advises. She gets to her feet as well. "Do your homework. Invite some people along. If you all do well, if it feels right, they'll want to do it again. There's nothing like that feeling, of doing a good thing together." She offers Kitty a handshake. "And good luck. Call us if you need anything."