As a follow-up to my last post...

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

Could we please designate the Hellfire Club as hostile territory of the 'Do not go fucking go there' type now?

This has been playing with fire all along, to foster connections with them. I suppose there's an argument to be made for keeping the lines of communication open, but exactly how many times do we let the Inner Circle hurt our kids before we stop giving them the opportunity?

Pete's gone to talk to Emma. To be perfectly honest, I don't care what she has to say for herself. Unless she was being similarly restrained and assaulted in another room while this was going on, she's proven herself untrustworthy when it comes to the welfare of our students, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm thinking a blanket ban for minor students on any contact with any member of the Hellfire Club, including Emma, wouldn't be going too far. As for student who are of age, right now I'm leaning towards the idea of no contact with the Hellfire Club being a requirement of their tenure here. Any thoughts?

As for those of you on the team... this is me being dictatorial and overbearing. Anyone who would like to continue taking orders from me will not get themselves involved in any way with the Hellfire Club, except in case of emergency, with suitable back-up on hand if humanly possible.

Edited to add: Scratch the dictatorial and overbearing part. I'm spoken to those of you who have business relationships with companies associated with the Hellfire Club (with the exception of Betsy, of course, who's still unconscious) and I'm satisfied that the risk can be managed. As for social contacts, if you report to me, you report on them. I think we've had enough incidents at this point that you're all aware of how stupid it would be to go into that place without back-up, so I'll leave it at that.

Comments

[x-gambit.livejournal.com]

Shaw's not stupid either, Nathan. And he's got a hell of a lot more money and assets to buy off good mercenaries and assassins. Someone starts making a systematic assault on the Hellfire Club's international assets, he's not going to stop until he finds out who.

That crosses a big fucking black line. Especially in his mind.

And I'll tell you a little of what he'd do, because they've done it before. He won't strike the school directly. At least not yet. But Xavier's portfolio goes under protracted assault financially from not just Shaw Industries, but a hell of a lot of other smaller firms. He pulls out an old copy of the CNN special on the school, and students start losing family members in 'mysterious' accidents or discover that Mom and Dad are now bankrupt. Then they start talking to the politicians he has under sway, and President McKenna goes under major fire for his mutant positions. To save his job, he's got to give more latitute to military and civilian agencies to track and investigate mutants. That means Shaw Industries start making nice fat paychecks while building arms directly against mutant threats.

Then he comes after us.

[x-cable.livejournal.com]

The people I'm talking about have old grudges with Shaw entirely separate from mine or the Pack's. He goes looking for who and why, and he'll find ancient history with no link to back here. I know of at least one person who would probably give me a significant discount just for the privilege of hitting Shaw and his friends where it counts.

Not a solution - I know damned well he's got more money that the rest of us put together to throw around - but a little confusion to one's enemies never hurt.

[x-cyclops.livejournal.com]

No, Nathan.

[x-cable.livejournal.com]

Fine.