X-Force: X-Force Only Comm

I'm going to back to Berlin to see if I can dig up anything about Remy or the mofo that set us up. Undetermined length of time, none of my usual aliases, effectively radio silence. Normal check-in protocol, and if there's an emergency between, send word through "Harvey" at the Lederhosen Bierhaus. I don't plan regular communication with any of my other German contacts until this thing is sorted out.

Well, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that Wanda's lead turned out to be a bust; if you ask me, her friend scored a bad batch and earned himself a healthy dose of paranoia for his troubles. The bad news is that the four of us can hardly see straight, so we're going to call in sick for a couple of days and stay here. Trust me, it's for the best; 'Yana nearly burst into tears when we told her we were about to put her on another commercial international flight.

Wait, did I get my good news and my bad news mixed up again? I really can't tell at this point.

Anyway. The four of us are in London, and in London we'll stay, at least for a couple more days. Don't worry, we're still getting plenty of work done while we're here; it's nice to surprise contacts who think you're across the pond. Maybe if you're lucky we'll rustle up a rogue Cajun while we're at it. Or con my dad into buying us dinner or something, assuming he's still around.

Anybody want us to pick you up anything? Besides the keg of bitter we're bringing back Amanda, that is.

Speaking of...North, I expect you to have brought me back something pretty from Symkaria.

So, I'm back from Vermont. I left Wanda there to do her conference thing and got a ride to the mansion on the Blackbird with Kurt and the rest.

...I'm tempted to leave it there just to make you all horrendously curious, but I'm too tired to fend off the phone calls I'd get.

The short version is that I now know who was behind the theft of my arm--a guy named George Tarleton that until yesterday was one of New Son's lab rats, and a woman named Monica Rappaccini who happens to be the biological mother of Cammie, the green-haired poison arm girl who lives at Xavier's. The two of them apparently decided that it was time to meet Cammie and me face to face, and while they were at it, they took Cammie's parents hostage for a short time. The parents have been rescued and are only somewhat traumatised, and Cammie and I managed to not get kidnapped. That's the good news.

The bad news...well, there's a lot of it. The bad guys got away, for one. For another, there are a couple of dead New Son guys in a warehouse in Vermont; I can't imagine that will have improved my relationship with their company. And best of all, they still have my arm, minus a couple of fingers, which they had couriered to Cammie to lure her out of the mansion yesterday.

Oh, and the courier who delivered my fingers? His name is Hans Mittlesteadt. He works for Infonet.

I'm at Xavier's right now, and could use a ride home. I'd check a car out, but I'm guessing I'm back to round-the-clock chaperoning. The last thing I really need is to get snatched between here and there.

Remy, I'll have a report on your desk tomorrow. And just because I know you've got files on all of us, it turns out a taser is a stunningly effective way of taking me down.

See you guys this afternoon.