~***~

A New Hope: Chapter Five

~***~

"That would be Sabertooth, and he's the reason your helpers were barrowed." Hope stared at the screen, it wasn't just that the man could lift cars, it was that he looked vicious, like an untamed animal.

"What does he have to do with anything?" Hope asked, though she moved faster, grabbing every available suture kit and gauze pad.

"He's a mutant,"

"Part of this school?" Hope interrupted, listening with one ear to the frantic sounds coming from the TV.

"No, Sabertooth is part of the Brotherhood, catch," Hope turned and caught the box of antiseptic, before she tossed a few bottles on to the tray she was setting up, "There's no reason for him to do this, but look, now." Hope looked up from the tray she was putting together and stopped dead. She had spotted Kitty just as a car went through her. Before the car could hit the large black plane behind her it was stopped and gently set down. Hope recognized Jean's powers right away, but there was nothing like the feeling of incredulity she had.

"They are just children, and you send them to go against them?" Hope yelled, not one for people putting themselves in danger.

"They are the only one's who can stop him," Hank said, "Hope, duck."

"What?" Hope turned, and came face to face with a scalpel, hovering inches from her face, "Is that you?"

"No, Hope, just get out of its way," Hank ordered, and Hope could hear the fear in his voice. Hope, taking a chance, reached a hand out and caught the end of the scalpel with out the blade. It dove at her, and Hope dodged left, but it caught her cheek. Swearing, she was forced to duck again as it continued the attack. Never had she expected this, Hope was backed against the bottom cabinets, watching the blade stare her down like a determined opponent. It was by luck that her hand landed on a stack of papers, that she raised it in time to block what would have been the final charge, it was luck that kept the tip of the blade from cutting into her nose. Hope tossed away the papers and got to her feet.

"Give me come gauze," She ordered when Hank took a step towards her, "Just give me gauze, I'll deal with it later." Hope would deal with the whole incident later, there were going to be injuries coming in, she had to deal with them first.

"You're alright?" Hank asked, handing over the requested gauze.

"It's nothing, Hank," Hope turned towards the screen, "Who's that?" Hope pressed a finger on the screen, pointing to the severely over weight teenager who had just walked onto the screen.

"More of the Brotherhood, what is going on?" Hank asked, and there was a sudden lurch in the room. Hope stared around as every metal object in the room lifted up into the air.

"We're under attack, it seems like," Hope yelled, watching with horror as the tools that weren't deadly were dropped.

"Magneto's close by, Sabertooth is the distraction," Hank was obviously not the target as every deadly tool now faced Hope.

"Well, what do we do?" Hope was marvelously calm, for being faced with deadly weapons, but she was reciting all 210 bones in the human body like she did when she was faced with any problem. But there was chilling fear rising in her, sharp and cold it waited for Hope to break down and give in, but that wasn't Hope's style.

"Get help," Hank dove towards the panel and hit some button that started an alarm. Hank pressed another button and his voice boomed out over a speakers system, "Students, search the grounds, use extreme caution." Hope didn't think caution was going to help. She prayed her luck was holding when she dove to the side, right this time, and scrambled for the door. Hank followed her out of the hospital and slammed the door closed. Hope kept her back to it, watching some of the students move towards the ground.

"Did you get hit?" Hope asked, once her heart rate returned to normal.

"No, they weren't after me."

"I know this is going to sound bad, but are any of the students able to do what just happened?" Hope looked down at her hand, the gauze was a mangled mass of fabric in it, still she touched it to her cheek where the blood was coming from.

"No," Hank shook his head for emphasizes, "None area able to do that."

A few more beats of the alarm and the students running outside, "Should we go back in?"

Hank pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sound, Hope thought, "I believe it is safe, but let me go first." Hope nodded and stepped back, out of the door way and to its side. Hank opened the door and looked inside, he took a step forward and Hope closed her eyes. She was sure there would be a rush of metallic tools and Hank would come stumbling out and Hope would have to call an ambulance. But she was wrong, Hank came back out and touched her shoulder. "It's safe."

"Thank God, okay, let's get everything together, I'm expecting a lot of glass caused injuries," Hope happily stepped into the confidence that being a doctor gave her, it was easier to face the room, the tools, if she was a doctor. They worked quickly, making sure that the room was all in order and Hope took some time to cover the cut with butterfly bandages. There was a five minute pause in the hospital before the door opened and in walked the injured. Hope jumped to control, "Everyone who's hurt, and I mean serious injuries, sit, those who have little things like glass or such, you'll have to wait." Hope was surprised that no one sat down, "Surely you all are kidding me when you mean to tell me that no one was seriously injured?"

"You look like you took more damage then us Doc," Logan said from his place by the doorway.

"This from the man with almost all of his shirt torn," Hope commented, pulling on a pair of protective gloves, "Alright, all of you who have glass somewhere, sit, and I'll get started."

~***~

Hank eased himself up next to Logan, "I need to talk with you," he said. Logan looked away from where Hope was telling Kurt to be still and let her do her job.

"About what?" Logan asked, dropping his casual leaning to look down at Hank.

"Why she has that cut, where's the Professor?" Hank followed Logan out of the room, following the man's brisk pace to Charles's office. The Professor was inside, talking with Scott and Jean.

"Hank, I was just about to send for you, why did you start the alarm?" the Professor asked, watching Hank intensely.

"If you look over the camera footage from the hospital wing from when you were gone, you'll see why." Those in the room waited while another plasma screen opened and Logan cued up the footage of the minutes when they had left to now. Silence descended while the footage played.

"It looks like Magneto," Scott said, watching as Hope dodged the first attack.

"The student's did find anything?" Charles asked, turning towards Hank.

"No, they didn't find anything, on the grounds," Hank answered, "It's just a guess but I believe that Sabertooth was a distraction, along with the other Brotherhood members who showed up, to get almost everyone out of the house, I don't think he guessed that I would be left behind."

"But what would Magneto want with Dr. Chandler?" Scott asked, also turning towards Hank.

"She's a non-mutant advocate for mutants," Charles said, "She's a respected member of the community, and she's working on research that would allow people to understand us."

"She's a threat to Magneto's plans," Logan muttered, turning the screen off.

"Would you bring her here, Logan, I'd like her to join this discussion," Charles said.

"I'll bring Ororo with me when I come back," Logan said and left the group.

"Do you think she'll change her mind about living here?" Jean asked the Professor, it was obvious she liked Hope.

"The choice will be offered to her," Charles answered, looking towards the doors, "But I don't think she'll back away from this."

~***~

"Hay, hey, easy would ya," Kurt said as Hope pulled free a very small fragment of glass.

"Will you relax Kurt?" Rouge said, sitting back on one of the beds, her wrist was bothering her, if Hope remembered correctly.

"You don't have her poking at you," Kurt complained and Hope smiled.

"There you go Kurt, that's the last piece, you can go to bed now," Hope stood up and cracked her knuckles. "I can finish with you a minute Rouge, once I try and find ice in this place."

"You can stop at the ice, Doc, that's all I'm going to need," Rouge said, while Hope opened a fridge and pulled free an ice pack and was careful to catch those that followed without being pulled on.

"Well, I still want a look at it, Rouge, I can't let you walk out of here with out me getting a good look at it. Wish I had some idea of where an x- ray machine was in this place." Hope slipped on a new set of gloves, and turned towards Rouge.

"You can't touch me," Rouge said, not meeting Hope's eyes, "My powers."

"I've got gloves on, you can practice a bit of control, if something happens you can get help," Hope smiled as she walked over, "There's got to be a sucker in those shelves somewhere, I'll give you one if you sit still, unlike Kurt."

"You were very kind to him," Rouge said, and held out her wrist. Hope began to gently press her fingers into it.

"I've handle patients who look worse," Hope handed over the ice pack, "Well your medical skills are better than mine, your wrist is sprained, so just keep this until morning."

"Thanks," Rouge jumped off of the bed and Hope watched her leave. Last patient, Hope sighed as she pulled off the gloves and toss them into the waste basket. It wasn't as bad as she had thought it would be, everyone was mature, and understanding, but still, they had actually put themselves in harms way. How could someone ask teenagers to do that, Hope wondered, they're just kids. As Hope cleaned up she stopped to pick up the folder on the floor, the scalpel was still in it, so was her blood. What had happened, Hope wondered, pulling it free. Why had it happened is a better question, Hope tossed it into the trash along with the papers.

"You done Doc?" Logan asked, and Hope sighed, she had been about to try to get the blood out of her shirt.

"Yeah, just finished." Hope said, "Do you need something?"

"Where's Ororo?"

"Went with Evan, he was going to call his parents, and she wanted to talk with them," Hope stretched her arms towards the ceiling, tension was settling between her shoulder blades.

"Professor wants to talk with you," Logan motioned for her to follow so Hope flipped off the lights and followed. He probably wants to talk about the injuries, Hope thought, rubbing the tension from her neck. There was no other reason for it to be anything else. For the second time since she had arrived Hope found herself in the office of Charles Xavier. Gather with the Professor were Hank, Jean, and Scott, if Hope remembered his name correctly.

"Thank you for coming, Doctor," Charles said, offering Hope a seat, which she took gratefully, she'd spent all day on her feet.

"It's nothing, Mr. Xavier," Hope replied, wondering why Scott and Jean would be here also.

"Hank said you were attacked today, and by the cut on your cheek I see you survived," He said, coming to a stop before Hope, looking her over with an intensity that Hope found just as unnerving as her attack this afternoon.

"Yes, I was, though I don't know if you could charge a floating scalpel with intent," Hope commented, acting as if it was a daily occurrence.

"I do have to ask if you want to leave. Would you like to leave, Doctor?"

Hope smiled but shook her head, "What I want are answers, sir, I was attacked, that much is clear to me, but I don't know why."

"I can't tell you the why, either, Doctor," Charles said, and Hope could hear the regret in his voice.

"Then can you tell me who might have done this," Hope turned towards Hank, "You said it was someone named Magneto."

"Yes," Hope turned her attention back to the Professor, "Magneto could very well be responsible."

"Well, who is he?" Hope asked, because everyone else in the room looked as though they knew what was going on, and she hated to be left out.

"Magneto is a mutant," Jean said, stepping forward to stand next to Charles, "He calls himself the Master of Magnetism."

"Which would explain why it was only metallic objects that attacked you," Scott jumped in, Hope had recognized him as a leader.

"So, this Magneto attacked me," Hope drew in a breath, "Any theories behind why? I'm not looking for a definite answer, but something to maybe put my mind to rest."

"We think he's after you because of your work," Charles said, watching Hope for any flicker of emotions, but Hope was reciting bones again.

"He wants a war between humans and mutant, your work could stop all of that," Hank explained, which made absolutely no sense to Hope.

"My work and I are not taken seriously, I had to practically beg to get my work published in an incredibly obscure medical magazine, and still doctors who have read that magazine are laughing at me. Why would he think I'm a threat when the medical community doesn't even thinks I'm a nut?" Hope took a steadying breath, she was beginning to panic, which helped no one.

"He believes you could be taken serious, that's enough for him." Logan said off handedly.

"Thank for the concern," Hope snapped, then drew a breath and ran a hand through her hair, "Sorry about snapping, it's just, I've had people after my blood before, hell there was a guy who showed up every Halloween and tried to drink my blood, but it's creeper when you don't have a face to put with it." Hope stopped and thought, she felt every eye on her, but it didn't matter. She could give up her project and live longer, she could stay on it and avoid metal all her life, simple really. "I'm not going to give up my project, and I'm not going to leave the students here without medical attention. I've seen what you do with the training you give them, and they may get seriously hurt and I can't walk away from that."

"You a very brave person, Doctor," Charles said, and Hope could tell he was immensely relieved, "I want someone to stay with you when we go out, someone who can make sure that Magneto won't do you harm."

"That's fine with me, sir," Hope smiled, "Would you like reports on who was injured or a write up on them or something?" Hope suggested, shifting back into her job.

"As long as it weren't any serious injuries," Hope shook her head, "Then you're dismissed Doctor, Jean, Scott would you escort Dr. Chandler back to her room?" Hope listened as she walked away, they were still going to talk about her, and that wasn't going to make Hope's nerves settle any. What weren't they telling her, Hope asked herself, there couldn't be more about this Magneto guy that they didn't tell me. Hope cast a sideways glance at her two escorts, and felt suddenly defiant. I don't care about you and your threats, Magneto, Hope thought viciously, it's time I took things into my own hands.

Hope turned towards Jean, "Would you mind if I talk to you for my project?" Jean looked startled, "And you too Scott, I haven't started any serious work, and I would like too."

"You want to talk with us, just talk?" Scott looked just as surprised as Jean, but Hope wasn't going to give up just yet.

"The first step is just talking, I prefer to get to know you before I ask you a mess of medical questions. Don't worry, there not life altering questions," Hope stopped outside her door, wondering if on the other side an assassin waited to kill her. I'm paranoid, Hope thought, even though that doesn't help me.

"We'll go first," Scott said, taking lead, his hand on the side of the visor he wore. Hope was happy to stand aside and let them enter first. She watched them enter and disappear, god she hoped Scott didn't have to use his power in her room, if her notes got trashed, "It's all clear," he called and Hope sighed in relief. She stepped in and smiled.

"If you want to talk go ahead and grab a seat," Hope said, moving her lap top off of the table and sitting herself. Both students sat tentatively, but Hope was hopeful. "Before we start, are there any questions you want to ask me, since I'm going to be questioning you."

"What are you going to do with what we tell you?" Jean asked.

"Normally, I use the information gathered to advance my theories, depending on what you tell me I can move on from my basic, almost sure theories, to make more advanced ones," Hope explained.

"No poking or prodding with tools or instruments?" Scott asked, his hand unconsciously touching his visor.

"No, I don't do any of that. Of course it makes my theories less likely to be excepted, but everything at a price."

"Why, I mean if you what to understand this medically, why not run test?" Jean asked, God Hope loved this, explaining, getting people to except everything. Of course, Hope thought, it was also the reason she was being attacked.

"I've never liked running test on the unwilling, and even though some might be willing," Hope shivered, fighting down something that made her afraid at the thought of test like the ones Scott was talking about, "I don't like them."

"What kind of things do you want to know?" Jean offered, leaning forward. Hope could have gone on forever with her questions, but she only went until curfew. There was such a wealth of information here, Hope thought, finally taking her hair down, even though most of it had escaped from the bun she had put it in. At a knock, Hope actually jumped, the nerves of the day were attacking her. "Come in!" It surprised her that Logan was the one to walk in, along with Hank. "Does the Professor want something else?"

"You handled yourself very well today, Hope," Hank said, "I wanted to see if you were handling everything alright."

Hope gave a relieved smile at Hank, "I'm not use to having my life in danger, but I think I'm okay."

"Has anything happened to your room?" Logan asked, inviting himself further into the room and sniffing around like an animal.

"No, Mr. Logan, only Jean and Scott have been in here." Hope put her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot, she wanted to get out of her blood stained shirt. "Mr. Logan, there's nothing wrong with my room, Hank tell him." When Hope turned to Hank he was doing the same thing, in frustration Hope threw her hands up and sighed for the millionth time today.

"Did you leave this window open?" Logan asked, closing the window.

"Yes, I prefer the fresh air," Hope said in defeat, there was no fighting this, "Which one of you will be sleeping on my couch to make sure no one tries for me in the night?"

"Nothing that drastic," Hank said waving away Hope question.

"I'll be posted in the room next to yours, if you need anything," Logan said striding out like he owned the place. Hope hissed, and narrowed her eyes.

"Obviously you don't think to highly of Logan," Hank commented sitting in a chair.

"He's a perfectly fine man," Hope practically growled, "If you enjoy arrogance."

"He does take some getting use to, but he's a very good instructor for the children. As are you," Hank smiled, "Doctor." Hank let himself out and Hope smiled at his retreating back. There was one day down, Hope thought, closing her door and locking it. Hopefully I can survive the rest.