Fic: Building a Team
Title: Building a Team
Characters: Danny, Steve, Kono, Chin, Grace
Rating: G, gen
Disclaimer: Neither Hawaii 5-0 nor the X-Men belong to me, and no infringement is intended.
Summary: Danny and the security team at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters work together to rescue Grace. This story was originally posted to the Hawaii 5-0 Flash Fiction community.
I've had a couple of people ask about a sequel to this piece, which is incredibly flattering. I do have a couple of ideas in mind, and I'm trying to work them into a follow-up or two. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me!
When he was younger, Detective Danny Williams didn't really care one way or the other about mutants. It didn't matter to him whether someone listened to a phone conversation using a van-load of equipment or the antenna on top of his head, as long as they got the necessary warrants first so that half the department's evidence didn't get thrown out on a technicality that almost let one of the biggest mob bosses on the East Coast go free. (Jimmy Snodgrass only made that mistake once. After listening to Danny's hour-long diatribe five times in the next month, no one else made a mistake like that at all.)
However, Danny started to have a much stronger opinion about mutants the summer after his daughter, Grace, turned eight. That July, her mother and step-father tried to move her to Hawaii. During the temper tantrum she threw in response to the idea of moving half a world away from her father, Grace manifested her power over electricity by blowing every fuse in the mansion. Instead of taking her to Hawaii, her step-father paid for her to attend a very prestigious boarding school for mutants. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in western Massachusetts was 180 miles from Newark -- a comfortable distance from Rachel and Step-Stan's electrical system, but much too far for her father's tastes.
Danny had to make do with phone calls and email while he waited for a position to open up in one of the police or sheriff's departments near Grace's new school. However, he managed to arrange a short vacation to visit during Parents' Weekend. Finishing up last minute paperwork got him a late start, so he didn't have a chance to see Grace before the festivities. He tried not to be too obvious about looking for his daughter in the students' seats during the instructors' presentations. A woman called Sharpshooter was demonstrating her ability to hit whatever she aimed at, even when blindfolded or shooting around a corner. Before her had been an Asian man called Think Tank who showed off his power of mentally connect to computers by reading information off smartphones people handed him. (Danny chuckled at the mutants' superhero names. They were as bad as some of the classic mob families back home. He wondered if The Gooch or Jimmy the Fish would be next.)
Danny had finally spotted Grace on the end of a row, leaning in to giggle with the feather-covered girl next to her, when a beat-up Jeep came careening across the lawn towards the exhibition area. The couple behind Grace and her friend grabbed them and put knives to both girls' throats. One of the men in the Jeep got out a megaphone and started yelling, "Everybody keep still! If any of you filthy mutants try anything, we'll kill the kids. Tell Senator Wilson that we'll contact him with our demands. If he ever wants to see his daughter and her friend again, he'll do exactly as we say and so will all of you!" While he was talking, the girls were forced into the back of the vehicle. As soon as they were in, the driver took off toward the back of the complex.
Danny started moving to the front of the exhibition area the minute the Jeep drove away. Institute staff were starting to herd the parents and remaining children inside for safety, but there was no way Danny would just sit around while his daughter was in danger. Several of the instructors were huddled around a tall, dark-haired man who seemed to be taking charge. He sent most of them off and was just finishing his instructions to Sharpshooter and Think Tank as Danny approached. "Chin, you check out the security footage. You've got the license plate for that Jeep, but it's probably stolen. Identify these people, and let's find out what they want. Kono, you're coming with me. We need to get in a position to help the girls once those idiots realize they're trapped on the grounds."
"Whaddya mean trapped? There's another gate that way. They're probably planning to blow the lock or just smash through it," Danny interrupted.
Thank Tank (presumably Chin) tried to take his arm. "Sir, you need to come inside with me."
"The heck you say," Danny shook him off. "They have my daughter, and I'm going to help get her back."
Chin reached for him again, but the other man held up one hand to stop him. He stared at Danny impassively for a moment. "You're Detective Williams?"
"Yeah, what are you some kind of mind reader?"
The taller man's mouth twitched in the barest fraction of a smile. "No, but I have read your file. Two girls were taken, and you obviously aren't the senator. That makes you Gracie's dad. You've got a good record and a good reputation. Will you do exactly as I say, no questions asked?"
Danny snorted. "That file must not be very good if you think I do anything without asking questions. I'll do what you need me to though, if it gets Grace back safely. Just remember, I'm not super-strong or invulnerable or anything like you guys are."
That got a real smile from the tall guy and chuckles from the other two. "Don't worry, brah," the woman said. "Our powers aren't like that, either."
Chin headed inside, presumably to do his thing with the computers. The other three started following the Jeep's tracks at a light jog. "Since it looks like the boss isn't going to introduce us, I'm Kono Kalakaua," Sharpshooter told him after a minute.
"Danny Williams, detective in the Newark PD," he replied. He gestured at the armament she was carrying -- a rifle slung over her back, two pistols, plus a blowgun and a collection of darts across her chest. "I saw your demonstration, before it was interrupted. Nice work. Are you as good with all of that as you are with the rifle?"
"Oh, yeah!" she said proudly. "Any ranged weapon, I can put it where I want it to go. I was in training to be a police officer myself after I messed up my knee surfing and had to quit the pro circuit. That's where I discovered my shooting abilities. The boss here helped me refine it with other things. He's Steve McGarrett, by the way, former Navy SEAL."
"When I came up, McGarrett said that the kidnappers are trapped on the grounds. What did he mean? I studied the layout of this place when Grace was enrolled, so I know there are other gates in addition to the main entrance."
"There are, but Steve initiated maximum lock down immediately. All of the gates are now reinforced, and in some cases, they're even covered over. These guys won't have as easy a time getting out as they expect." They went on in silence for a while after that, not wanting to waste their breath on unnecessary chatter.
X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50
Grace Williams rested her hand on the side of the Jeep, holding on as it jerked across the grass. She was so scared, but she knew she had to concentrate. Her dad and the security team were working to rescue them; Grace had no doubt about that. However, she also knew that she could help them. She could feel the electricity in the engine and what she had to break to make it stop. After several minutes, the lights on the Jeep's dashboard flickered and it slowed a little bit. The driver cursed and whacked it. Everything brightened momentarily, then died completely. A minute later, the engine died too, and they drifted to a stop.
"What the fuck?" yelled the woman holding the two girls. "What sorta piece of shit did you steal, man?"
Miranda looked at Grace, wide-eyed and scared. Grace nodded her head slightly. Her friend looked even more frightened for a moment, then clenched her jaw in determination. The two girls kept close together, trying to comfort one another while the kidnappers argued. If they didn't believe the Jeep had broken down on its own, the friends would be in a lot of trouble.
"Hey, it was the best I could find," the driver whined. "It wasn't like there were a lot of choices for something we could the kids get in and out of fast."
"Fuck," the man next to him said disgustedly. "Nothing we can do about it now. Get the brats moving. According to the map, there should be a building of some sort in those woods. We'll stop there for a little while to figure out what to do next."
As the kidnappers prodded them into moving towards the trees, Miranda scratched her arm gently, and Grace saw a feather fall to the ground. As they walked, Miranda scratched herself every few minutes, like it was a nervous habit. Grace squeezed her hand, knowing that every little bit helped.
X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50
After they had been following the Jeep's tracks for about fifteen minutes, Steve slowed and pointed silently ahead. The vehicle was stopped not far from a wooded area. All three got out their guns and approached it cautiously, in case it was a trap. However, the vehicle seemed to be deserted. They checked it over carefully, but the kidnappers had taken everything with them.
"Why did they leave the Jeep?" Kono asked quietly. "Even if they found out about the lock down, keeping it would let them be faster and more maneuverable, particularly with the girls."
Steve pointed at the keys, which were still in the ignition. "Maybe it broke down and they abandoned it. This thing isn't in the best shape; they probably just stole the first vehicle they could. C'mon, it looks like they're headed toward one of the training houses."
"Hold on a sec," Danny said, looking at the side of the Jeep. A small hand print in the dust made him suspicious. He reached in and tried flicking on the headlights, then the interior lights. When nothing happened, he grinned fiercely. "They didn't have engine trouble, they had electrical trouble."
The other two stared at him for a second in confusion, then Steve saw where he was going. "You think Grace fried the alternator and drained the battery? I've seen her practicing. She could have done it, but she would have had to be very careful not to let the kidnappers know what she was doing."
"She's a smart girl, and she can keep her head in a crisis. She also knows that not all kidnapped kids make it home. If she didn't know about the extra security on the gates, she might have thought that it was worth the risk to give us as much of a chance as possible to catch up with them," Danny said soberly.
Steve and Kono nodded quietly, then the three of them moved out. Steve led the way, following the tracks of the kidnappers and the two little girls. It wasn't difficult, since they seemed to be following a footpath through the woods. Also, every twenty to thirty feet, Danny saw a feather the same color as the ones on Gracie's friend. He wondered if she moulted when she was scared, or if she was leaving them deliberately. They all moved as quietly as possible, not sure how close they were to the kidnappers.
After another ten minutes, Steve and Kono both twitched, then stopped where they were. Danny watched curiously as they took out smartphones. "They're hooked into the campus' wireless network, so Chin can link with them," Kono whispered to him. He looked over her shoulder as information scrolled across the screen. The good news was that the kidnappers weren't affiliated with any of the major anti-mutant groups, so they didn't have a lot of resources, training, or outside help. The bad news was that they were amateurs, which made them unpredictable. They were definitely targeting Senator Wilson due to his work on legislation to improve civil rights for mutants, but they hadn't called in any demands yet.
"Chin, we think they're headed for the training house in sector seven. Can you tap into the cameras there?" Steve asked quietly. A few minutes later, a schematic of the house appeared on their phones with red dots marking the locations of the kidnappers and a pair of green dots for the girls. Chin also sent pictures of each person and confirmation that everyone they had seen in the Jeep was accounted for at the house.
The four kidnappers were all on the ground floor of the house -- one each at the front and back doors, and two in the living room with the girls. One of the people from the living room checked on the doors every ten minutes or so. If they could take out the guy at the front door without making any noise, Kono had two fast-acting knock-out darts for the living room.
"I'll get the one on the door," Steve said.
"How? Can you go invisible or something?" Danny asked.
The taller man's mouth twisted into a grimace. "I wish. I just know the woods around there very well, and I can get close enough without being seen. I'll go first; you two hang back a little so you're out of sight. As soon as I get him, Kono moves to the door to the living room and takes out the kidnappers inside. Stay low around the corner, so you're out of sight. Danny, you go with her in case the guy from the back comes inside for some reason."
The other two nodded, and they all moved into position around the house. Steve quickly smeared camouflage paint onto his face and hands to make himself harder to spot. Danny could tell that the taller man didn't really go invisible, but if he hadn't known where to watch, he didn't think he would have seen him anyway. The former SEAL ghosted up behind the door guard and immobilized him. The second Steve had him away from the door, Kono and Danny moved inside. She took out the two people guarding the girls so smoothly that the guy in back didn't even know anything was wrong until he was surrounded and being disarmed. The whole team praised the girls for being so brave, and Danny sat with his arms around both of them while they waited for the sheriff to come arrest the kidnappers.
After they were back at the main building and had reassured the senator that his daughter was safe, Steve pulled Danny to one side. "Have you thought about moving to this area, to be closer to your daughter? I saw how you were with her after we had secured everything. Living so far away must be hard on you both."
Danny grimaced. "I've been trying, but all I know is police work. This is a small, quiet area, and none of the local law enforcement offices are hiring right now."
"We've been talking about adding someone to the security team who can work as a liaison with them. We need someone with police training, preferably a non-mutant they will trust, but who works for the Institute. Would you be interested?"
"Seriously?! I'd give anything to live closer to Grace, and that sounds like a great position. What do I need to do to apply?" Danny asked eagerly.
"Well, you'd have to be vetted by the Institute's head of security -- that's me," Steve smirked, "and accepted by the other members of the security force -- Chin and Kono. HR probably has a bunch of paperwork, but really, if you want the job, it's yours. Just remember, you'd be one of the only normal humans around, living in close quarters with an entire school full of mutants. You seemed comfortable with Miranda, but there are a lot of different people with very different powers here."
"That's no problem for me." Danny eyed Steve carefully. "Actually, I'm dying of curiosity. Will you tell me what your mutant power is? You and Kono said that it wasn't mind reading, super strength, invulnerability, or invisibility. You're obviously pretty hot stuff on tracking and sneaking up on people though, not to mention pulling face paint out of thin air."
Steve blushed slightly. "It's really no big deal, Danny. All of my skills come from my SEAL training, and I had the paint in one of my pockets. In fact, that's one of the big things I teach the kids, that your power doesn't have to dictate your life."
"That's a great message, and I'm sure it makes a lovely moral to the after-school special. The fact that you carry camouflage paint around just in case you need it is a little disturbing, but I'm an open-minded guy. You're only making me more curious, Steven. And trust me, you do not want to be the focus of a Williams' curiosity." He looked at the taller man intently. "Does Grace know?"
"Yes, she bugged me for two weeks before I told her," Steve growled. "She's sworn to secrecy though, so you can't find out from her."
Danny just smirked. "No, I wouldn't ask her to betray someone's trust like that. However, you need to remember who taught her to be that tenacious. Do you really want me to go after you like she did?"
An odd expression crossed Steve's face before he smoothed it into neutrality. "Fine, if it's that important to you. Watch." He held up one hand. After a second, part of the back raised up, becoming a small tendril.
"Huh. So you can smoosh your body into different shapes?" Danny reached out a finger, looking up at Steve for permission before he touched the odd bit of flesh.
The taller man nodded his ok. "No, I can just do little tentacles like this. The longest I've ever managed was about four inches, and that took a lot of concentration. They're weak, too -- can't even hold a pencil. I didn't have much control over them when they first manifested, which is what ended my career with the Navy," he said a little bitterly. "The military still isn't thrilled about letting mutants join. A mutation that was not only useless but hard to control meant that when my tour of duty was over, they didn't give me the option to re-enlist."
"Their loss was the Institute's gain, babe," Danny said, continuing to play with the tentacle. He looked up and caught Steve's eye. "Things could have ended very badly for Grace and Miranda. I'm glad you were here today."
The tentacle looped around Danny's finger as Steve returned his gaze. "I'm glad, too, Danny."
I apologize for any mistakes I made with the X-Men universe! My knowledge is mostly limited to the bits I've picked up hanging out with people who do read the comics, plus a few details from Wikipedia. However, when I read the "what if" in the challenge, the idea of Steve being a mutant with a useless talent while Chin and Kono had superpowers really got my muse going.
Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Characters: Danny, Steve, Kono, Chin, Grace
Rating: G, gen
Disclaimer: Neither Hawaii 5-0 nor the X-Men belong to me, and no infringement is intended.
Summary: Danny and the security team at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters work together to rescue Grace. This story was originally posted to the Hawaii 5-0 Flash Fiction community.
I've had a couple of people ask about a sequel to this piece, which is incredibly flattering. I do have a couple of ideas in mind, and I'm trying to work them into a follow-up or two. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me!
When he was younger, Detective Danny Williams didn't really care one way or the other about mutants. It didn't matter to him whether someone listened to a phone conversation using a van-load of equipment or the antenna on top of his head, as long as they got the necessary warrants first so that half the department's evidence didn't get thrown out on a technicality that almost let one of the biggest mob bosses on the East Coast go free. (Jimmy Snodgrass only made that mistake once. After listening to Danny's hour-long diatribe five times in the next month, no one else made a mistake like that at all.)
However, Danny started to have a much stronger opinion about mutants the summer after his daughter, Grace, turned eight. That July, her mother and step-father tried to move her to Hawaii. During the temper tantrum she threw in response to the idea of moving half a world away from her father, Grace manifested her power over electricity by blowing every fuse in the mansion. Instead of taking her to Hawaii, her step-father paid for her to attend a very prestigious boarding school for mutants. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in western Massachusetts was 180 miles from Newark -- a comfortable distance from Rachel and Step-Stan's electrical system, but much too far for her father's tastes.
Danny had to make do with phone calls and email while he waited for a position to open up in one of the police or sheriff's departments near Grace's new school. However, he managed to arrange a short vacation to visit during Parents' Weekend. Finishing up last minute paperwork got him a late start, so he didn't have a chance to see Grace before the festivities. He tried not to be too obvious about looking for his daughter in the students' seats during the instructors' presentations. A woman called Sharpshooter was demonstrating her ability to hit whatever she aimed at, even when blindfolded or shooting around a corner. Before her had been an Asian man called Think Tank who showed off his power of mentally connect to computers by reading information off smartphones people handed him. (Danny chuckled at the mutants' superhero names. They were as bad as some of the classic mob families back home. He wondered if The Gooch or Jimmy the Fish would be next.)
Danny had finally spotted Grace on the end of a row, leaning in to giggle with the feather-covered girl next to her, when a beat-up Jeep came careening across the lawn towards the exhibition area. The couple behind Grace and her friend grabbed them and put knives to both girls' throats. One of the men in the Jeep got out a megaphone and started yelling, "Everybody keep still! If any of you filthy mutants try anything, we'll kill the kids. Tell Senator Wilson that we'll contact him with our demands. If he ever wants to see his daughter and her friend again, he'll do exactly as we say and so will all of you!" While he was talking, the girls were forced into the back of the vehicle. As soon as they were in, the driver took off toward the back of the complex.
Danny started moving to the front of the exhibition area the minute the Jeep drove away. Institute staff were starting to herd the parents and remaining children inside for safety, but there was no way Danny would just sit around while his daughter was in danger. Several of the instructors were huddled around a tall, dark-haired man who seemed to be taking charge. He sent most of them off and was just finishing his instructions to Sharpshooter and Think Tank as Danny approached. "Chin, you check out the security footage. You've got the license plate for that Jeep, but it's probably stolen. Identify these people, and let's find out what they want. Kono, you're coming with me. We need to get in a position to help the girls once those idiots realize they're trapped on the grounds."
"Whaddya mean trapped? There's another gate that way. They're probably planning to blow the lock or just smash through it," Danny interrupted.
Thank Tank (presumably Chin) tried to take his arm. "Sir, you need to come inside with me."
"The heck you say," Danny shook him off. "They have my daughter, and I'm going to help get her back."
Chin reached for him again, but the other man held up one hand to stop him. He stared at Danny impassively for a moment. "You're Detective Williams?"
"Yeah, what are you some kind of mind reader?"
The taller man's mouth twitched in the barest fraction of a smile. "No, but I have read your file. Two girls were taken, and you obviously aren't the senator. That makes you Gracie's dad. You've got a good record and a good reputation. Will you do exactly as I say, no questions asked?"
Danny snorted. "That file must not be very good if you think I do anything without asking questions. I'll do what you need me to though, if it gets Grace back safely. Just remember, I'm not super-strong or invulnerable or anything like you guys are."
That got a real smile from the tall guy and chuckles from the other two. "Don't worry, brah," the woman said. "Our powers aren't like that, either."
Chin headed inside, presumably to do his thing with the computers. The other three started following the Jeep's tracks at a light jog. "Since it looks like the boss isn't going to introduce us, I'm Kono Kalakaua," Sharpshooter told him after a minute.
"Danny Williams, detective in the Newark PD," he replied. He gestured at the armament she was carrying -- a rifle slung over her back, two pistols, plus a blowgun and a collection of darts across her chest. "I saw your demonstration, before it was interrupted. Nice work. Are you as good with all of that as you are with the rifle?"
"Oh, yeah!" she said proudly. "Any ranged weapon, I can put it where I want it to go. I was in training to be a police officer myself after I messed up my knee surfing and had to quit the pro circuit. That's where I discovered my shooting abilities. The boss here helped me refine it with other things. He's Steve McGarrett, by the way, former Navy SEAL."
"When I came up, McGarrett said that the kidnappers are trapped on the grounds. What did he mean? I studied the layout of this place when Grace was enrolled, so I know there are other gates in addition to the main entrance."
"There are, but Steve initiated maximum lock down immediately. All of the gates are now reinforced, and in some cases, they're even covered over. These guys won't have as easy a time getting out as they expect." They went on in silence for a while after that, not wanting to waste their breath on unnecessary chatter.
X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50
Grace Williams rested her hand on the side of the Jeep, holding on as it jerked across the grass. She was so scared, but she knew she had to concentrate. Her dad and the security team were working to rescue them; Grace had no doubt about that. However, she also knew that she could help them. She could feel the electricity in the engine and what she had to break to make it stop. After several minutes, the lights on the Jeep's dashboard flickered and it slowed a little bit. The driver cursed and whacked it. Everything brightened momentarily, then died completely. A minute later, the engine died too, and they drifted to a stop.
"What the fuck?" yelled the woman holding the two girls. "What sorta piece of shit did you steal, man?"
Miranda looked at Grace, wide-eyed and scared. Grace nodded her head slightly. Her friend looked even more frightened for a moment, then clenched her jaw in determination. The two girls kept close together, trying to comfort one another while the kidnappers argued. If they didn't believe the Jeep had broken down on its own, the friends would be in a lot of trouble.
"Hey, it was the best I could find," the driver whined. "It wasn't like there were a lot of choices for something we could the kids get in and out of fast."
"Fuck," the man next to him said disgustedly. "Nothing we can do about it now. Get the brats moving. According to the map, there should be a building of some sort in those woods. We'll stop there for a little while to figure out what to do next."
As the kidnappers prodded them into moving towards the trees, Miranda scratched her arm gently, and Grace saw a feather fall to the ground. As they walked, Miranda scratched herself every few minutes, like it was a nervous habit. Grace squeezed her hand, knowing that every little bit helped.
X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50 -- X-50
After they had been following the Jeep's tracks for about fifteen minutes, Steve slowed and pointed silently ahead. The vehicle was stopped not far from a wooded area. All three got out their guns and approached it cautiously, in case it was a trap. However, the vehicle seemed to be deserted. They checked it over carefully, but the kidnappers had taken everything with them.
"Why did they leave the Jeep?" Kono asked quietly. "Even if they found out about the lock down, keeping it would let them be faster and more maneuverable, particularly with the girls."
Steve pointed at the keys, which were still in the ignition. "Maybe it broke down and they abandoned it. This thing isn't in the best shape; they probably just stole the first vehicle they could. C'mon, it looks like they're headed toward one of the training houses."
"Hold on a sec," Danny said, looking at the side of the Jeep. A small hand print in the dust made him suspicious. He reached in and tried flicking on the headlights, then the interior lights. When nothing happened, he grinned fiercely. "They didn't have engine trouble, they had electrical trouble."
The other two stared at him for a second in confusion, then Steve saw where he was going. "You think Grace fried the alternator and drained the battery? I've seen her practicing. She could have done it, but she would have had to be very careful not to let the kidnappers know what she was doing."
"She's a smart girl, and she can keep her head in a crisis. She also knows that not all kidnapped kids make it home. If she didn't know about the extra security on the gates, she might have thought that it was worth the risk to give us as much of a chance as possible to catch up with them," Danny said soberly.
Steve and Kono nodded quietly, then the three of them moved out. Steve led the way, following the tracks of the kidnappers and the two little girls. It wasn't difficult, since they seemed to be following a footpath through the woods. Also, every twenty to thirty feet, Danny saw a feather the same color as the ones on Gracie's friend. He wondered if she moulted when she was scared, or if she was leaving them deliberately. They all moved as quietly as possible, not sure how close they were to the kidnappers.
After another ten minutes, Steve and Kono both twitched, then stopped where they were. Danny watched curiously as they took out smartphones. "They're hooked into the campus' wireless network, so Chin can link with them," Kono whispered to him. He looked over her shoulder as information scrolled across the screen. The good news was that the kidnappers weren't affiliated with any of the major anti-mutant groups, so they didn't have a lot of resources, training, or outside help. The bad news was that they were amateurs, which made them unpredictable. They were definitely targeting Senator Wilson due to his work on legislation to improve civil rights for mutants, but they hadn't called in any demands yet.
"Chin, we think they're headed for the training house in sector seven. Can you tap into the cameras there?" Steve asked quietly. A few minutes later, a schematic of the house appeared on their phones with red dots marking the locations of the kidnappers and a pair of green dots for the girls. Chin also sent pictures of each person and confirmation that everyone they had seen in the Jeep was accounted for at the house.
The four kidnappers were all on the ground floor of the house -- one each at the front and back doors, and two in the living room with the girls. One of the people from the living room checked on the doors every ten minutes or so. If they could take out the guy at the front door without making any noise, Kono had two fast-acting knock-out darts for the living room.
"I'll get the one on the door," Steve said.
"How? Can you go invisible or something?" Danny asked.
The taller man's mouth twisted into a grimace. "I wish. I just know the woods around there very well, and I can get close enough without being seen. I'll go first; you two hang back a little so you're out of sight. As soon as I get him, Kono moves to the door to the living room and takes out the kidnappers inside. Stay low around the corner, so you're out of sight. Danny, you go with her in case the guy from the back comes inside for some reason."
The other two nodded, and they all moved into position around the house. Steve quickly smeared camouflage paint onto his face and hands to make himself harder to spot. Danny could tell that the taller man didn't really go invisible, but if he hadn't known where to watch, he didn't think he would have seen him anyway. The former SEAL ghosted up behind the door guard and immobilized him. The second Steve had him away from the door, Kono and Danny moved inside. She took out the two people guarding the girls so smoothly that the guy in back didn't even know anything was wrong until he was surrounded and being disarmed. The whole team praised the girls for being so brave, and Danny sat with his arms around both of them while they waited for the sheriff to come arrest the kidnappers.
After they were back at the main building and had reassured the senator that his daughter was safe, Steve pulled Danny to one side. "Have you thought about moving to this area, to be closer to your daughter? I saw how you were with her after we had secured everything. Living so far away must be hard on you both."
Danny grimaced. "I've been trying, but all I know is police work. This is a small, quiet area, and none of the local law enforcement offices are hiring right now."
"We've been talking about adding someone to the security team who can work as a liaison with them. We need someone with police training, preferably a non-mutant they will trust, but who works for the Institute. Would you be interested?"
"Seriously?! I'd give anything to live closer to Grace, and that sounds like a great position. What do I need to do to apply?" Danny asked eagerly.
"Well, you'd have to be vetted by the Institute's head of security -- that's me," Steve smirked, "and accepted by the other members of the security force -- Chin and Kono. HR probably has a bunch of paperwork, but really, if you want the job, it's yours. Just remember, you'd be one of the only normal humans around, living in close quarters with an entire school full of mutants. You seemed comfortable with Miranda, but there are a lot of different people with very different powers here."
"That's no problem for me." Danny eyed Steve carefully. "Actually, I'm dying of curiosity. Will you tell me what your mutant power is? You and Kono said that it wasn't mind reading, super strength, invulnerability, or invisibility. You're obviously pretty hot stuff on tracking and sneaking up on people though, not to mention pulling face paint out of thin air."
Steve blushed slightly. "It's really no big deal, Danny. All of my skills come from my SEAL training, and I had the paint in one of my pockets. In fact, that's one of the big things I teach the kids, that your power doesn't have to dictate your life."
"That's a great message, and I'm sure it makes a lovely moral to the after-school special. The fact that you carry camouflage paint around just in case you need it is a little disturbing, but I'm an open-minded guy. You're only making me more curious, Steven. And trust me, you do not want to be the focus of a Williams' curiosity." He looked at the taller man intently. "Does Grace know?"
"Yes, she bugged me for two weeks before I told her," Steve growled. "She's sworn to secrecy though, so you can't find out from her."
Danny just smirked. "No, I wouldn't ask her to betray someone's trust like that. However, you need to remember who taught her to be that tenacious. Do you really want me to go after you like she did?"
An odd expression crossed Steve's face before he smoothed it into neutrality. "Fine, if it's that important to you. Watch." He held up one hand. After a second, part of the back raised up, becoming a small tendril.
"Huh. So you can smoosh your body into different shapes?" Danny reached out a finger, looking up at Steve for permission before he touched the odd bit of flesh.
The taller man nodded his ok. "No, I can just do little tentacles like this. The longest I've ever managed was about four inches, and that took a lot of concentration. They're weak, too -- can't even hold a pencil. I didn't have much control over them when they first manifested, which is what ended my career with the Navy," he said a little bitterly. "The military still isn't thrilled about letting mutants join. A mutation that was not only useless but hard to control meant that when my tour of duty was over, they didn't give me the option to re-enlist."
"Their loss was the Institute's gain, babe," Danny said, continuing to play with the tentacle. He looked up and caught Steve's eye. "Things could have ended very badly for Grace and Miranda. I'm glad you were here today."
The tentacle looped around Danny's finger as Steve returned his gaze. "I'm glad, too, Danny."
I apologize for any mistakes I made with the X-Men universe! My knowledge is mostly limited to the bits I've picked up hanging out with people who do read the comics, plus a few details from Wikipedia. However, when I read the "what if" in the challenge, the idea of Steve being a mutant with a useless talent while Chin and Kono had superpowers really got my muse going.
Constructive criticism is always welcome!