Template:Featured Articles/39-2022

Moment of Awesome - Sooraya Qadir/Dust:In the wake of Garrison Kane's return from the Brotherhood, Sooraya asks some difficult questions about the failed mission and for a favour. Sooraya let out a sigh. "Probably I should just be frank... I can understand why you shared whatever information you gave them. And I respect the hard choice that you made there. I don't know if I could've done so... But with Avalanche... it was the closest I've come to death I think and emotionally I'm struggling with the fact that this is because a teammate and trainer I trusted shared my weaknesses. I spent a couple days stuck in sandform, unable to communicate in any way..." She shifted uneasily before continuing: "I need to deal with this myself mostly. But I also want to be honest and not let this fester." "That's fair. I wasn't the first to suggest Avalanche be directed at you with the Brotherhood. And he ignored Magneto's rules about how far the Brotherhood were allowed to go." Kane said. "But I was still in charge. All I can tell you is that the Brotherhood was coming for us at some point. I thought sooner and with a bit of my control was better than the alternative. But you had to pay the price for that, and I don't blame you for whatever resolution you feel you need." "I need to know exactly what you shared with them about me... Wait..." Sooraya frowned as something caught his attention. "What do you mean with 'Magneto's rules about how far the Brotherhood were allowed to go'? What happened there?" "No fatalities. No serious injuries. The point was to show they could humiliate the X-Men, not execute them." "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Sooraya shook her head. "Magneto has something arrogant over him, but he can put his word where his mouth is. I think that is the scariest bit... But back to my original question... you mentioned my weakness against types like Avalanche... anything else? Other weaknesses? Tactics I usually use? Or things you specifically didn't mention?" "That you could be significantly more lethal with the right training, but being an X-Men had made you shy away from the most dangerous aspects of your powers." "Alright... so not something that is directly hugely damaging... possibly leading to underestimating me a tad, but best not to assume that." Sooraya mused softly, speaking mostly to herself. "Sooraya, I did my best to keep things to their own knowledge and prejudices. But I had to give up some info. I'm sorry about that, but it was the only way to make them believe I'd broken with the X-Men. I'm not sure what you want here. If you want to feel betrayed, you're right. I betrayed you. Bigger priorities aside, I still gave them a blueprint to hurt you. I take responsibility for that." She let out a slow sigh. "Like I said, I do understand why you had to make that choice, Garrison. And I do appreciate you taking responsibility. It just scared me what happened... and knowing what they know seems to help a little." She hesitated a little. "Can I ask something else from you though?" "Go ahead." Kane had been straightforward the entire time. It was clear both that he felt he ultimately made the right choice, but he wasn't going to try and duck taking responsibility for the hurt it caused. "Train with me in the Danger Room. Not as a trainer, but just together." Sooraya met his eye grimly. "I imagine with you gone, Mags might be pissed, but he might also like to imagine he is sowing distrust among the X-men. So let's overcome any of that before he has a chance to launch some kind of plan on it. Second, with him out there along with Sentinels and whatever threat can think of... we're gonna be fighting side by side again no matter if you end up with the X-men again... so better to work through any stuff that might be there in the Danger Room." "You're going to have to give me some time, but I'll be back. If I have a place, but that seems likely. And believe me, I'm not giving Magneto any free passes." Kane nodded. "Next time he faces the X-Men, he faces all of us. Together."