by betty brant

“Well I feel like a damn idiot.” she sighed, unlocking her filing cabinet before pausing second and heading over to her desk. Linda pulled a backup hard drive from her top drawer and set the computer to transfer all its data over. “I do not know anyone with a car… But several residents of the district owe me a favour, perhaps they can send someone to meet us halfway? More immediately,” she looked at Betty, “I don’t suppose you know how to wipe this computer so NOVA can’t grab anything from it?” With that asked she went back to her cabinet and started shovelling files into the first box.  

Betty paused as she tried to think of anyone she knew who might have a car, but she was coming up empty handed. Most people weren’t allowed to drive past a certain hour - and with a city this size, having a car just made things inconvenient. 

Hesitating, she eyed Linda’s computer, but then sighed and shook her head. “Not unless you have a couple hours to spare. I have a better idea.” She quickly unplugged the tower. “We’ll just take it with us. If you want to destroy it, we’ll toss it right into the trash compactor. Or the ocean.” She looked at Linda over her shoulder. “You have back up files, right?”

Elysia had never come to know the hatred that mutants had for humans. For her entire life thus far, she had always thought that she was human. She knew how cruel they could be, especially when it concerned people that were different than them. But it was disappointing to see her fellow peers act the way they did when it came to the humans that had sought refuge within the district. They were all just trying to escape the rising fascist community that seemed to be strangling the city, squeezing out every last drop of inconsistency, everything that NOVA deemed as punishable. It shouldn’t be a surprise that there were some humans who didn’t agree with what their government was doing.

“Everything’s on the internet nowadays, so hopefully,” her phone chimed out. “Ugh, that sounds good too… I think I just want coffee.” She replied with a shrug as the two headed over to the new ‘Starbucks’. She was a little surprised at how quickly they managed to get something up, but she supposed she shouldn’t overestimate the people’s need for the little things. Just some semblance of normalcy, she supposed. Elysia worried at her bottom lip. “Has anyone else been giving you a hard time..?” She hadn’t meant to worry. She just didn’t have a lot of friends.

“That’s true. When the internet’s working, that is.” Betty was surprised that NOVA hadn’t figured out a way to send District X into a digital black hole. Then again, she knew nothing about technology of that nature. Surely there was someone who was making sure that didn’t happen. Now more than ever, it was important that they all stay on top of what was going on with NOVA. Being blindsided was not something she ever wanted to deal with again.

Once they were inside, she sighed and gazed up at the menu, which was nothing but a long list of items written in chalk. It was still better than nothing. Surprised, she glanced over at Elysia. “No.” It was an instantaneous but not altogether honest answer. It immediately made her feel guilty. “Look, it doesn’t matter. I don’t take what they say to heart. You shouldn’t either. They’re just lashing out.” 

Linda sighed, she had… a lot of files. “We’re going to need some boxes.” she deadpanned, looking at her filing cabinets, “Mutant or no those monsters are not going to get past my client privilege.” she told Betty sternly. already going to the corner and grabbing an empty box that once held printer paper, “There’s probably more of these in the supply closet.” she mentioned, “I have a space there,” Linda said, turning back, “I have a room in the clinic to see patients who can’t leave the district, honestly I can sleep there for the moment, I’m sure Mr. Summers can help when I arrive.” she sighed, “I should’ve thought ahead and planned this soon, God I’m an idiot.”  

Betty sighed, but she didn’t argue. She knew NOVA could storm the office right now and there was nothing they could do about it. She hurried to the closet and found more boxes, some half-filled with office supplies. Dumping the contents, she brought them empty and lined them up so Linda could put her files in them. Already she could tell that this would take a few trips. “You’re not an idiot. You just don’t think like they do. That makes you sane, and... a good person. There’s no way you could have anticipated this.” She sighed, eyeing the boxes. “Do you know anyone with a car?”

There were few people that Elysia felt comfortable around from the get-go. Not even her peers were privy to much of her company, but some of the humans that had sought out shelter with them were nice, like Betty. She was one of the rare few that she liked spending her time with, especially as of late, as she had been spending most of her moments outside of the walls with Terry. The offer for coffee sounded nice, so she accepted without question—the living conditions within the district were starting to mirror those beyond it, and it was nice. They were starting to feel even more like a community; it was a place that she was starting to feel like she belonged there. “Do you think it’ll all taste the same? I’ve been dying for their caramel macchiato. No one else can make it like they can,” her phone chimed.

Not everyone was too eager to accept a non-mutant in District X, even with Scott’s explicit permission. Betty might have had a hand in several events, but it didn’t change the fact that she was human - and while someone as notoriously human wary (to put it lightly) as Magneto didn’t judge her off that fact, the same couldn’t be said of some of the students. The younger ones, especially. Elysia didn’t seem as if she were passing judgment on her. She didn’t act wary of her, or point out the fact that she was human every few seconds as if she needed reminding, or because they were voicing surprise that she was so (insert adjective here) for a human. What she was experiencing was only a sliver of what mutants had dealt with, however - and that was enough to keep her annoyance in check. “Oh, god, I hope so.” She made a face, scrunching her nose. “I mean, it’d be easy to get the recipes, right? I’m sure they’ll be able to make basic things. I just want a good espresso, the blonde roast.”

“Hey, do you want to get some coffee?” Betty had taken to Elysia almost instantly. Even though she didn’t talk. There was something oddly calming about her presence. She sensed a strength in her, but it was easy to imagine people underestimating her. “There’s a little shop they opened near the entrance. It looks just like a regular Starbucks and everything.” It was a godsend. She’d been living off of her terrible instant coffee ever since she moved into District X. She’d had no time to stash up before fleeing the city for the safety of walls. 

Linda sighed and ran a hand through her hair, walking over to her desk and picking up her mobile, continuing to talk as she began texting, “Then let them watch, frankly I have been in too many crazy situations to let this one stop me, I’m just going to have to continue working in a place that’s much safer right now.” After all, her role was not to fight, it was to help those that did and she couldn’t do that from prison. “So, it’s either they want to know what we know or just as insidiously they might want to use us to gain entrance into the district for whatever horrible things they want to do.” she sighed, “Mr. Summers would, he’s a good man.” Linda nodded, “So, too dangerous for you as well.”  

Betty nodded, glancing around the office, but then she sighed and slowly moved her laptop bag to her shoulder. “I can help you. We should take anything you wouldn’t want them to see. Patient files... you know. They’ll help themselves to all of it in the name of keeping the city “safe”.” And she had to assume that Linda must treat several mutants, though she would never ask. “I live in District X. I have for... several months now. I can find a place to store your things where they’ll be safe. You know, until you get on your feet... figure out what you want to do.” 

Linda’s mind was going a mile a minute despite her lack of outward expression. When Betty came over she was grateful for the comfort but a more pressing question came to her mind. “Have you considered there might be a reason for that?” Linda asked, “If you wanted to catch a group of people, why not let them know you do, and wait to see who helps them or who they go and hide to?” It was a pretty clever way to rat out everyone else standing strongly against NOVA. “Scott, Mr. Summers?” Linda asked, “We’ve met before. And this one, Nelson. I’ve come across him when I was assisting police in the past, he’s a lawyer.”

Betty smiled wryly and nodded, even though she hadn’t considered that angle. “You’re right. They’re probably watching us.” Going to Linda as a “patient” had been risky, but they were both on the list. They were already done for in that respect. Helping each other might be the safest thing. She nodded when Linda pointed out the others on the list, breathing in deeply. “I have a theory that everyone here has access to District X, whether it be complete or limited, or is an unregistered and suspected mutant. I want to gather everyone on it that I can and bring it to Scott. I think he would give them all asylum.” He’d done it for her. "It's too dangerous for anyone on this list to live outside District X."