-backdated log- completed // closed [Emma and Ethan]

[icecoldwit]

EMMA:
The biggest pain of the arrangement was sharing power. Not in the 'I'm better than you and therefore deserve this all the more than you' sort of way, no. She wasn't just as egotistical as Sebastian just yet. It was the decision making, the process of things, the taking care of business that one person did without the need to confer with anyone else. Only sometimes that was thrown to the wayside because of a situation.

Emma didn't like it when the situation excluded her input in such a drastic manner.

As it was, word didn't reach her until the incident had been cleared and the tapes were sent to her and the documents were on her desk and, oh yeah, Dr Chandler is in the brig for admitting to murder. God, the nobility of some people was sickening. Really. If she'd just waited, but no. Honesty wasn't always the best policy after all. Instead, Emma was left to try and sort things, wrangle a meeting with Stone, alone, and sort out the chaos that was unfolding around her.

"Are you out of your mind?" Emma didn't even knock, she just pushed the door open and blatantly started the argument. Although her voice wasn't yet raised, her tone left no room for interpretation. She was pissed.


ETHAN:
For Ethan this wasn’t a question of sharing the power. In his mind Miss Frost most certainly had facilitated the camps developments through her generous funding however she was not military trained like he so the ability to make certain decisions were outside of her remit. Therefore the decision to send Dr Chandler to the brig wasn’t made out of spite or to assert authority, it was in fact made in accordance to the rules that Ethan had lived most of his life by.

So to have his sanity questioned by Emma was perhaps not the way he envisioned this conversation to go. Barely even bothering to look up he continued to tap away at his laptop, completing another report in regards to the entire fiasco involving Richter, Abbot and Chandler. “Good afternoon to you Miss Frost, no you aren’t interrupting anything of importance so please feel free to take a seat.”

Finishing typing Ethan looked up, elbows resting on the edge of his desk and fingers interlinked. “What is it that you’d like to discuss?”


EMMA:
She stayed standing. Hands on her hips, scowl marring her features. Emma did not like the tone, she didn't appreciate the dismissive attitude and she did no enjoy the flippant treatment at all. "Dr Chandler is the best scientific mind in the world, and you have her confined to a cell. For protecting a fellow team-member from a violent and life threatening attack." She'd already made her view on that very, very clear with Stone. So clear that she wouldn't be surprised if the General couldn't look at her without blushing for a few days.

"Care to explain why I wasn't informed, or even approached for my view on the matter?" Having dealings with Shaw and Wyngarde had long ago thickened Emma's skin against the 'she's a woman, she can't do this right' perception. She wasn't getting that vibe from Sykes, but the vibe she was getting, she most certainly did not like. "I want her released right now."


ETHAN:
He wasn't the least bit surprised to see that Emma didn't want to sit down; she had never seemed the type to easily be coerced into neutral negotiations so if he was honest he was a little surprised that she hadn't simply tried to go over his head and speak to General Stone directly... and then his inbox pinged. With an email. From the General. Titled Ref; Doctor Chandler.

Oh well that most certainly didn’t improve his mood much. “Dr Chandler may undoubtedly be the best scientific mind in the world however she admitted both freely and without prejudice that she killed the solider.” Ethan had seen the tapes and read over the files... actually he had been in the process of filing appropriate paperwork to have the good Doctor released but Emma didn’t need to know that. That line of though barely even crossed his mind as he heard Miss Frost demand both to know why she hadn’t been included in on the decision and that the Doctor be released immediately. “Miss Frost, please. Sit. Down and we can discuss this matter further.”


EMMA:
"I'm fine standing." Standing gave her the feeling of leverage, and really, she needed the distance to keep her control tight. She didn't like the feeling of losing control. She'd worked too hard for this to simply lose grip. "It doesn't matter what she said, the fact is you imprisoned her without fully investigating the matter or consulting with me." Her biggest annoyance was the lack of consultation. But Sykes didn't need to hear that confirmed.

"There's little to discuss, beyond your rash behaviour, possibly upsetting the balance of everything within the camp to an unsalvageable degree and the unnecessary upheaval that your actions caused." It didn't matter how much had come to pass regarding the possible infractions, or that nothing had cropped up with another emergency since Rictor's shooting. Emma didn't like having scenarios that had no counter plan.

Having their head medic locked up fell into the 'possible life threatening mistake' category.


ETHAN:
"I followed camp rules and regulations Miss Frost in accordance with both State and Military Law! Would you rather I had left her roaming free and then had the pleasure of dealing with other soldiers or team members getting involved and further complicating the matters?!" Seat shoved back Ethan stood, palms pressed into the smooth wood of the desk. He was getting annoyed now, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he fought the urge to raise his voice. So far he's kept calm but the way Emma had spoken to him then was uncalled for.

"My behaviour has been far from rash Miss Frost. I did what I had to do to clear up the mess after your associates killed a man. No matter what the situation was Doctor Chandler still killed a man and it is in all our interests, namely hers but also mine, the teams and yours, to follow protocol. Therefore my actions were necessary and will not be questioned by a civilian... like you." Perhaps Ethan, upon reflection, would have worded his response a little differently but the heat of the moment was getting to him. As far as he was concerned he had reduced the collateral damage and stopped any further fallout.


EMMA:
"In case you hadn't noticed, these aren't your well trained little military brats. There's no use for half the protocol you're used to because they can work around it." She needed to kick something, she wanted so sorely to punch his teeth in for the condescension. "There wouldn't have been any mess if not for a prejudiced boy pulling his gun and shooting a member of my team. Dr Chandler protected Richter's life, her own life and the life of the rest of the members in this camp. Who knows just how dangerous that soldier could've been. And you jumped right in to imprison her and further alienate the group of people you're meant to be training."

Although it put Emma in a much better position; she didn't need them to like her, or trust her. She just needed them to like Sykes a whole lot less.

"I may be a civilian, but I know these people better than you and I can tell you now, you're going to fail miserably if you keep this up." Emma was already very well aware of Atticus' visit to Hope. If Ethan thought he could contain anyone in this camp with his fancy little holding cells and his regulations, he was sorely mistaken. "You don't have a clue what you're doing." And Emma could condescend with the best of them.


ETHAN:
"I am perfectly aware that neither Hendley nor Stryker have so far managed to control any of these so called soldiers and that, from what I have read, there were no protocols in place in the first instance!" The desk creaked in response as Ethan dug his fingers into the wood, unaware that his mutation was kicking in at this moment in time. "I am well aware that Doctor Chandler made a decision that saved Richter’s life and her own! I have done everything in my power to replace every single one of the men assigned to the camp with ones that I actually trust. With my own life. I know it is of little consolation now but I did what was right! I followed the rules Miss Frost! Something I doubt even you have done recently!"

"As for alienating the team I could care less whether they wish to be my friend or not. I am here to train them, to shape them into a well oiled machine and a workable force. Not further encourage these rag tag band of moronic, self righteous, egotistical brats!" There was one thing that Ethan hated more than anything else though and that was being told he was a failure. Or was going to fail and that he didn't have a clue what he was doing. His fist came down against the wooden top of the desk, denting the surface.

"I have witnessed men lay down their lives for their country, I have led wounded groups from the frontline to safety and I have served with some of the best and worst men in our country." Ethan unclenched his fist and set his sharp blue gaze on Emma. "Do not tell me I will fail and that I do not have a clue when it is clear that even you Miss Frost are incapable of controlling this team. For if you could you would never have come to General Stone and asked for his assistance."


EMMA:
The biggest strike came in the breath of his rant, the desk lamp shattered as her telekinesis spiked slightly, something that tended only to happen in extreme circumstance and Emma had to push down the wave of cold fury that threatened to slide over her skin and shift her into inorganic diamond. "I spent several months living nothing but your military's deranged rules and regulations," her voice was cold and deadly, almost as if she had shifted altogether. "And they don't work with us, not if we don't want them."

Fact of the matter was, Emma's trauma was right there, driving every single decision she made, right or wrong as it may be. Her vindictive hatred towards Stryker being all that motivated her towards her goal, and this straight minded idiot was screwing things up. "If they don't trust you, you'll never get anywhere with them. If they hate you, they'll probably end up killing you."

It was through sheer force of will that Emma hid the flinch when Ethan drove his fist into the table, she kept her gaze level with his and clenched her own fist, "One powerful push and they'd all jump off a bridge if I told them to. Enough time and they'd be nothing but mindless minions to control. I could manage them easily. Instead, I offered to work with the military. To be productive. If you can't see past your ego and your own career driven wants, I'll have you removed from this facility by force."

She'd managed to cool her voice, to keep from shouting and yelling, simply stating her intentions coldly and with intent.


ETHAN:
The shattered lamp didn’t faze Ethan in the slightest, the shards of glass bouncing off of his skin as if they were nothing more than raindrops bouncing off of a window pane. Every muscle in his body was tight from controlled tension, jaw set, lips pursed and nostrils flared as he listened to her. A part of him, though tiny and rarely listened to, was screaming at him to back down, to admit defeat and accept that perhaps this situation for once was out of his depth. He knew that by alienating the team and Emma he was only setting himself up for a fall but Ethan just didn’t know how to back down from a challenge.

They could try to kill him all they wanted, none of the team bar Emma and Stryker, knew the true extent of his powers. He’d kill first if it came to it. Survival of the fittest, the strongest, the smartest, the fastest and the most durable and Ethan was all of those and then some.

The warning, which Ethan could tell was also a thinly veiled threat, though struck home and brought Ethan crashing back to reality. As much as Emma really couldn’t have him so easily removed she could make his life a living hell by constantly reporting back to the General and that was not something Ethan wished to endure.

“I took on this task not because of my ego or my own career Miss Frost. I took it on because I believed that I could make a difference, to turn this mockery of a team around and make them into something that they could be proud of. Do not think that my actions are lead by something as pathetic and lowly as greed, desire and a lust for power. I am more of a man and mutant than you give credit for.” There was no doubt in his mind that Stone knew Ethan was a good, decent, honest, hardworking and passionate individual who had the cleanest record to date but Emma brought money. And money made the world go round.

“I was going to have Doctor Chandler released shortly with a clean record and a full report explicitly explaining the reason for her actions; however if you want me to simply bail her out and then allow the shit to hit the fan when the report is found to be flawed then... fine. But do not come crawling to me for assistance.” He didn’t raise his voice, the words barely louder than a normal conversation but they were laced with the true feelings that Ethan felt right now. All the barely concealed anger, dislike, disgust and something else that lingered.


EMMA:
"I don't crawl, Captain." She'd never begged for anything, she'd never lowered herself to needing someone, not for anything. She was power, she was grace, she was fucking diamond. Emma wasn't about to let something as pathetic as the United States military fuck with her dreams, with her life plan. With her revenge. She wasn't that decent, honest, hard working person that others so obviously were. She was flawed, she was meticulous and manipulative and vindictive and she didn't care for the opinion of others. Because she could change it, she could twist it and alter it and make it something that worked for her.

She hadn't yet done that here, and why, she wasn't sure, but she could.

"I don't really care for the flaws in reports, or the so called backlash. You're going to keep your men under control from now on, any reports of one of your soldiers attacking a member of this team with be met with swift retribution. I don't tolerate discrimination, I won't have this turned into some campaign against mutants. Regardless of your views." There were people here she would protect, people here that she needed, however fleeting their use. And Emma wasn't going to let that get ruined.

Anything he thought, anything she could hear from him, she studiously ignored. "Whatever your reasons for accepting this role, you really need to take a step back and actually think about how you're running this. Because so far, it's been one screw up after another."


ETHAN:
Ethan kept silent, gaze steady as he listened to Emma and took in everything that she was saying. He didn't respond to anything other than her final statement because as far as Ethan was concerned he'd just about had enough of Emma and her attitude. Sitting back down Ethan swept a hand across his desk to collect together the shards of the desk lamp. "You're point has been made Miss Frost. You know where the door is." If she wanted to act like that, talk to him like that, treat him like that then fine. But Ethan had a plan.

He'd been studiously studying a document before he glanced up at Emma with a tight smile. "I will have the Doctor released shortly... you are dismissed."


EMMA:
Her fury piqued just slightly at the 'dismissal' but she kept her wits, allowing a small, vicious smirk onto her face. He was nothing special; she'd dealt with much worse than him, she'd locked horns with Shaw so many times and traded blows with Selene more than that. This man was nothing more than a trumped up military boy who thought he had all the cards.

"Do not overstep your boundaries, Captain Sykes." Emma didn't even bother keeping the channel clear, just thrusting her voice into his head and hoping to cause a headache. She turned on her heel without another word and left.

The door lying wide open was her last barb left.


ETHAN:
There was no sudden outburst, no further comments from Ethan as he sat there, head pounding from the residual effects of her abuse of her powers. The only thing giving him away at this moment in time was the way that Ethan had barely moved an inch, body tight and rigid and breathing deep, fast and barely controlled. And then he swept his arm across his desk, paperwork, books, pens and anything that was in his way went crashing to the floor. The remains of the desk lamp were thrown with enough force to embed it into the wall beside his open office door.

Picking his laptop off of the floor Ethan sent off a quick email informing maintenance he needed a new desk ASAP and then his attention returned to an earlier document. He’d been considering talking to Emma about sending the team out on a mission but after that little stunt it was perfectly clear that she had issues with his approach to managing this team. Well you know what? Ethan would show her. Jumped up, egotistical princess that she was.