X-Men: A Bright New World (IC)

[Lachiyous]

Shadowcat

It. It wasn't, the. Too. Much, long. A, go. That they -- Kitty Pryde and Sam Guthrie -- had, been. In flight, with. One, another. Together. Him, holding her....close. As he wielded, his abilities.

A week ago, maybe if. At that?

Sure. Different time, different setting. Altogether, except for them. And the flight, nothing. Really, the same...
========================================================================
Last Saturday. [Xavier's Estate, in Westchester, New York]

"How about you do that...thing again." the girl, proposed. To the older, boy. "This time, faster." Brownsome irises, alight. Sparkling, with a. Teasing gleam. She made sure, to position. Herself, up. To her peer. Her small feet, atop his own. Hands, upon his shoulders. "Come on, let's go check it out and see who's over there! Grab on to me, Sam, I don't want to fall." Urging him, to possibly. Belay, any the. Apprehension..."here, my waist." She placed the bigger, of his. Hands, down. Upon her hips. The mirth, ever present...."you drop me, you die."

"Alrighty, you hold tight, as tight as you think ya need ta, but Ah ain't gonna be droppin' no one. 'Specially not when they're as cute as you." He informed her, indicating as well. That she'd be better off, holding onto. His neck. Instead of the former..."here we...go!"

...and the Cannonball had blasted, off. With the Shadowcat, tightly upon. Him. Their second, aerial maneuvering. For the day! One and two, the couple. Of experiences, filled with. Nothing but, laughter. Smiles. And sweet, heart-racing adrenaline!

Not a care. Not a concern.

Just, anticipation. For....

Pizza?
========================================================================
Upon first landing. Here. [Russia]

By now, it'd been. All ready, established. The 'team', would be. Split up. And she, wasn't to be. On the forefront, of sorts...

All that she, could. All that she, should. She did, scroll. Down. Upon the Cafe napkin. Anything, remembered. Trivial, or not. For him, and the. Others. About Piotr's farm. Hopefully, it'd be. Of some use! "There should be a dirt road, with a view of the mountains. I think there was even a lake. If you have a map, I'm sure you could find one in the area."

He bowed, and nodded. In affirmation. "We'll be in touch. Regularly." His turning to, indicate. His departure.

She stood, and hurried. To catch him, in an. Embrace. Her soft words, for his. Ears only. "Sam, please stay in touch, even if there's nothing. Even if he's not at the farm, look for clues, anything." she poured it all, out. There, for him. In emotion.

"Not to worry." He returned those, same. Gentle words, for her. Whilst also, encasing the. Girl, within his arms. Brushing his lips, upon her cheek. In reassurance....
========================================================================
Now.

The man.

The man underneath her. Why, he'd. Just told her, that. That. That...."мертвых. He is..how you say. Dead." Piotr was DEAD!

"....it-it....can't be......" and she repeated, over. Over and over, again. Her eyes, leaked. Never-ending. Her chest contracted. She couldn't breathe. The pain, almost. Wholly unbearable! And yet....she unleashed. In what little, the. Way she could. Upon the guy. Him. Her enemy. With her knee. With her fists. With what she had, at her. Disposal. "....no...no...no..." She cried. She hit. Her vision, blurred. Her insides, flipped. Upside, down.

All that she knew.
All that she could ever, care about.
Everything...it...he....

"мертвых. He is..how you say. Dead."

"....no...it-it....can't be.........no..."

scooped up -- GASP -- WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHHH!

She found herself, fidgeting. Twirling. Swinging, at. AIR. Now--

"Whoa, whoa...what's gotten such a smart, pretty girl in such an uproar? Huh?" came what should, have been. A familiar voice, unto. Her little ears.

But, with all. That just, transpired.
But, with everything. That just, unraveled.
But, with...with....her world, torn. From within!

Kitty made, the. No single, sense. Nor acknowledgement. Of her team mate. Her peer. Her friend. As they were BLAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSST'ing on back, and around --

....she went, purely. On instinct. (with an overload, of emotions) And without, speech. Or body language. Simply PHAAAAAAAAAAAASED, on out. Out of Sam's 'grip'. Sending herself, to the....

..g...
.r....
...o..
..u...
.n....
....d..

BELOW! oooommphh. Oww?

Dark. It was, so. Dark. Lying, there. Upon the earthen, floor. She squinted, through. Tear-filled browns, and --

TWO. GLOWING. ORBS. Grew bigger, as they rapidly. Became closer. Closer to her. And her position.

...she had no words. No plan of action. Her thoughts. Still. On her best-est.....

The headlights enclosed.
She stared, like an innocent....little...fawn.

Until finally...."...why pete?....'snot.....p-possible...."

Did she, NOT. See the oncoming, vehicle? Was she, JUST. Going to...stand there?

"мертвых. He is..how you say. Dead."

"....it...can't....be..." She sank, to. Her knees.

"мертвых. He is..how you say. Dead."

"............p..l..e..a..s..e.........n-not faaiir....." The essence, of her. Eyes, over took Kitty. As it gushed, on. Out, unforgiving...

poundPOUNDpoundPOUND, of her fore. Head!
========================================================================

 

[Lachiyous]

X-23

[Russia]

Instinct.

In the split of a second --
At the exact moment --
When the shadowy figure, LANDED...
...upon...
..the..
.......hood. Of the car --

She sensed him.
Felt his presence.
And found it...unwelcome.(some kind of pungent 'scent'?)

Instinct. Ever-present. Within her. It took over.

X-23 threw the, car. In reverse. GUNNNNN'ing the gas pedal --

VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMmmmm!

-- her emerald irises, narrowed. As they locked, with that. Of the 'stranger'. She continued to floor, the. Vehicle. The upper, of her lip. Curled. She didn't bother, with the. Words, he spoke. And barely even...acknowledged, those. That came out, from her. Friend. Of whom, she'd slapped. The heck out of, a moment. The go! All, in necessity...

No. Only one motive. One thought. Always, just. The singular.

Must protect her!

The hand, which was. Upon the gear, knob. Flew over, to cover. Jean, securely. As. As if, she didn't. Trust. The seat belt, confining her. Passenger. Or mayhaps, it was because. Of. THIS --

SLAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM, on the brakes! -- THUNK-honnnnnnnnkkkkk --blink blink? Grrrr...too late. She could feel, the ooze. Of blood, dripping. From her forehead. She forgot, to put her own. Damn seat belt on, the. 'Gain!

Car-in-park.

Eyes, out. To the windshield. Couldn't quite....see...."him", but. -- upturned nose - SNIFF -- But, that. Same. FOUL odor, present. In the air. She picked it up, when he seemed to. Arrive. The fact, that she. Could still, catch a. Whiff...

To the redhead. Her passenger. Jean, whom she. Was doing, all of. This for. The quick glance-over! "Stay inside. No matter WHAT." She growled out. Perhaps, she didn't. Mean, to come off. As rude, or cruel.....but well. There was, no time. The point, needed be. Made. And the woman, should. Entirely be, used. To her antics, by now!

"Roll this back up--!"

Rolling her window, all. The way down. She put, a. Hand, up. Upon the car's, frame. Gripping it, good. Before, slipping her. Being, out. The interior, of. The automobile. Outside, and. Swinging over, the top. Landing, upon the. Roof. In a crouched -- skin giving way and tearing, for the sharp bone claws all ready! -- position.

Here. Out here. Up here....she needn't speak. She didn't have to. Her body language, expressed all. The message, to be interpreted...clearly.

X-23 -- Laura -- was, more. Than, ready. To throw down. AND kill...

Any.

All.

...that would, be. Perceived, an. Inkling, the threat. To the woman, inside. The car, she was atop!

As for the, stranger...?

Growwwllllllllll.....
========================================================================

 

[Lachiyous]

Interlude - Russia

Then.

Years. Years ago.

When times, when it was all....innocent. And, lovely.

Life just, was. Back then...

"Will it always be like this?"

"Huh?"

"Us Piotr. Здесь вместе....you won't leave?"

"No."

"Promise?"

"Да, snowflake. I always be here for my sister."
========================================================================
In the recent past.

Light.

Fleeting, flickering. And the, small. Of a, source...

Dangling.

"Remember..."

"."

"Can you remember her, now...мальчик?"

".."

"I want you remember....it was me, that took her. Took them all from you!"

"..."

"Now. I take you, too. From this world.."

"..*.." air, being suuuuuckkk'ed out. Of lungs--!

Failing.

Of all, senses. Lost, lifeless. Utterly, encased in....

Darkness.
========================================================================

 

[Lachiyous]

Russia - Bobby and Nori

A little bit of....distance, from the others. [Russia]

In the middle, of. The night. The sky, was. Pitch, full. Of shadows.

...and for the, two. Passengers, in. The back seat. It'd gotten, awfully. Quiet. Since the vehicle, picked up. The other local, and. The two, had...communicated. With the, one. Another. The car's engine, sputtered. For close, to. An hour's time -- mm, or had it been more like....five minutes? -- before. It finally....stopped.

No sound.

No movement.

The world. Everything. Stood still. And breathed -- or slept -- at, this. Hour...

Until --

Doors began, opening! The front two.

Then the rear ones!

One-by-one, the two. Mutants, were....ushered out. Of the automobile.
One-by-one, the two. Companions, were....escorted kindly. Along the way.
One-by-one, the two. AMERICANS, were...taken, into the. Custody of...

Of whom? By what?

darkDarkDARKveryveryDark....bliiiiiiink-SQUINNNT-glance around! Many. So many. Of these. Forms. These shadows. These...."people". They....they looked -- if one could make it out -- like they were, armored. From neck to toe. Ahh, yes. And then, there were...helmets. Visors, maybe. Covering the upper part, of the face...but. Leaving the nose, and mouth visible.

Swarms. There were SWARMS of these. Things. These armored forms. And Nori, and Bobby -- they were RIGHT THERE. In the midst of them. Of this 'swarm'. With them. Each, had a hand. On either, arm. As if, the two. Couldn't be trusted. As if, these 'things'. WOULDN'T take a chance. Any.

So. All this. All this, and. In the middle, of. The night. Why? What was the purpose?

No words.

No answers.

Only shadows, of the. Night.

And. And...could one, see. In the distance....

-- if one were to tilt one's head and be looking --

...a light. Dancing, twisting kind...of light. Not unlike, a fire...?

Draggg'ed forward. To keep walking. Where were they going? Blink blink. Wha..

"Приветствую американцы." A raspy voice.

Then. "WELCOME!" chant, from. The lips -- seemingly -- of, every. Single. Individual. PRESENT, and. Accounted for! Eerily, in. Sync.

"Я рад, что вы сделали это здесь сегодня вечером!" That same, harsh. Voice. But. But where, was the...source?

"GLAD YOU...HERE!" came, the. Collective words. Were they....translating? If so, for whom?

Through this all, they never. Stopped, moving. Her and him. Until now.

Footsteps stopped.
The trail ceased.

And before the Olympic Figure Skater, and. The girl with the electric blue locks...

A body.
Another body.
Three bodies....all female. And lying, down. Upon the ground.

OUT. Unconscious-like. Were they *DEAD*?

<>Who are these women?<> It...it was, that. That person. The voice. The raspy one. Only the language, was different. And....<>Do tell or...<> It spoke, right. INSIDE their mind!

Squiintttttt.

One of them, appeared to. Have strawberry blonde hair.
The other two, looked to. Possess....darker tresses.

Bliiiiink. Double-take!

Wait a minute. Was that...Theresa? Was she ALIV--

<>....die!<>

"WELCOME!"
========================================================================

 

[ChasNicollette]

Russia - Kurt - 1st Corinthians 13:12.

X-23 threw the, car. In reverse. GUNNNNN'ing the gas pedal --

VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMmmmm!

The car's sharp retreat was enough to jostle Kurt a bit.

But it wasn't nearly enough to shake him.

He was, perhaps, as good at wallcrawling and almost as agile as a certain Spider-Man, and his feet had a firm grip on the hood of the vehicle.

SLAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMM, on the brakes! -- THUNK-honnnnnnnnkkkkk --blink blink? Grrrr...too late. She could feel, the ooze. Of blood, dripping. From her forehead. She forgot, to put her own. Damn seat belt on, the. 'Gain!

Car-in-park.

Slamming the brakes on forced Kurt to hunker down into a crouch and slap his free palm down onto the metal hood, to further anchor him against getting flung into the windscreen.

But the sight of the ladies in the vehicle gave him momentary pause.

The dark-haired beauty who'd slapped the redheaded angel had braced the redhead against the inertia of the sudden accelerations and decelerations, making the redhead's safety a priority even over that of her own self.

Perhaps there was more to this situation than met the eye? Two sides to every coin.

And yet-- and yet-- if this were a hostage scenario-- perhaps the dark-haired wild child had instructions to keep her charge compliant-- hence the slapping-- but overall intact.

This could still be a dire thing.

Eyes, out. To the windshield. Couldn't quite....see...."him", but. -- upturned nose - SNIFF -- But, that. Same. FOUL odor, present. In the air. She picked it up, when he seemed to. Arrive. The fact, that she. Could still, catch a. Whiff...

To the redhead. Her passenger. Jean, whom she. Was doing, all of. This for. The quick glance-over! "Stay inside. No matter WHAT." She growled out. Perhaps, she didn't. Mean, to come off. As rude, or cruel.....but well. There was, no time. The point, needed be. Made. And the woman, should. Entirely be, used. To her antics, by now!

"Roll this back up--!"

Rolling her window, all. The way down. She put, a. Hand, up. Upon the car's, frame. Gripping it, good. Before, slipping her. Being, out. The interior, of. The automobile. Outside, and. Swinging over, the top. Landing, upon the. Roof. In a crouched -- skin giving way and tearing, for the sharp bone claws all ready! -- position.

Here. Out here. Up here....she needn't speak. She didn't have to. Her body language, expressed all. The message, to be interpreted...clearly.

X-23 -- Laura -- was, more. Than, ready. To throw down. AND kill...

Any.

All.

...that would, be. Perceived, an. Inkling, the threat. To the woman, inside. The car, she was atop!

As for the, stranger...?

Growwwllllllllll.....

A rolled up window wouldn't keep out The Inimitable Nightcrawler, any more than a little stunt-driving would throw him off the hide of this machine.

He could easily jaunt past this ferocious little teen soldier and assess the condition of the redhaired girl from closer proximity. Hell, he could take the driver's seat and reverse the situation on the girl's maybe captor. He could immediately teleport the redhead to a safer distance if he could tell that such a rough interdimensional transit would not exacerbate any extant injuries.

All of these were scenarios he considered like lightning as the raven-haired young woman faced off with him atop the car.

But then-- skin and bone--

--those claws emerged from the backs of her hands with a telltale SHLUCK.

--and then she growled.

The look on her face. The claws on her hands. The growl that rumbled out of her throat like distant wilderness thunder.

All of this. All of this. Gave Kurt pause and he momentarily forgot himself entirely.

"Was? Was los?"

"A girl Wolverine?"

 

[Lachiyous]

Gambit

[The World Trade Center. In Lower Manhattan, New York]

"This is crazy." The youth had, stated. To him. But. But was, he. In anyway, wrong? All that, had. Happened. Every, a. Thing, that...transpired. From almost, the. MOMENT, they got into. The city. Could one, disagree with. That sentiment? "From what those people on the street were saying, there could be almost anything happening up there. How do we know it's anything we should be concerned about? That it has anything to do with what's become of Alison?" The boy continued.

Gambit stopped, short. Upon the, very. Side, of the. Immense building, that was. The North Tower -- one of the, two, which formed the Twin Towers. He turned, toward. His younger companion. The crimson, of his irises. Locking on, to Jamie's. The intensity, of the Cajun's. Not to be, lost...within the dark of this. Night. "Don' 'ave de much, t'work wit'. Can't dis'gree. Dis def'nitely crazy. De gal..." He couldn't bring, himself. To say her name, right now. He still felt, responsible. For what happened. "..Elle manquer mon ami. We all s'e got! Goin' make sure dat 'nough..." And the other part? This place having, anything to do with THEM. Or HER? "Way Gambit see it -- we got dat phone, an' de not'ing else. Could be a dead end. Maybe de world o' trouble..." Past his team mate, something. Caught his eye. Little bit in the distance. The Volkswagen Beetle -- their ride -- and....was the TRUNK, popped. Open? Yet before, he could. Address that--

"What are you two doing here? You're not permitted to be this close..." One of two, men. Adorned in black, body armor. White gloves, white boots. Some kind of...Eagle sign. On their right, shoulders...

SWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPE, of his. Materialized bo staff! The talking one, took it. Upside the face. BONNNNKK! The other, on the. Dome.

Eyes darting around! No one....witnessed, that? "D'ain't de not'ing won't do, Madrox. For de one o' us. 'Specially...." He let that one, linger. Without finishing. "Now 'urry an' 'elp get dem undressed. Dis be de new X-Men digs!"
========================================================================
Inside. The Lobby.

Lines. Of, the plenty. People. In Formal Attire. Dissatisfied. And venting, out. Their unhappiness. To those, that worked. Behind the desk.

"...what in GOD's name is going on up there? I've had these dinner reservations for a year and a half now..."

"Sir, we apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing you and your guests, but we assure you..."

"Do you know how asinine this is?"

"...for your safety, you will need to stay away from..."

" I demand to speak with a manager. NOW!"

Elsewhere. And, sectioned. Off. Accessway, to. Upper levels, via. Elevators. The same people, with. Black body, armor. As outside, in. Here too.

"You guys backup?" one spotted the, likes. Of the, X-Men-in-disguise.

Gambit nodded.

"Where are the rest? On the way?" To which, the Cajun confirmed. With one more, nod.

"This way then. It'll lead you up."
========================================================================
Twenty Minutes Later. [Within the Elevator]

97

98

99...

DeetDeetDeetDeet!

"Almost there." Jamie announced, to. Him. And the youth, wasn't. Wrong. The floors -- albeit slowly -- continued, to. Come. Come, and. Go. As their, destination. Their purposeful, point. Of intent. Closed in, on them!

But. But what, indeed. Would they find, therein? For all the running, around. Tonight. For all the, chaos. Abound. The explosions, and. Adrenalin. What, really. Was in store, in this.....next place. Up, there?

Some silver entity?
More trouble?
Or....for the love of, anything. Alison?

"What are we going to do when we get there? 'Cause you know the cops or whoever aren't just going to let us waltz our way in, right?" The Multiple Man voiced, his. Concerns. Once more. And they, didn't. Fall, on deaf. Ears.

But. With these.....suits -- whatever they 'represented' -- Remy, anticipated, it'd give. Them, the camouflaged edge. That they might, be in. Necessity of. For what, upon. Ever, lie. The further, before them!

Still he, responded. Accordingly. "Got dese for reason, Madrox." He put his hand, upon his companion's. New 'uniform'. "Goin' use dem. Blend in. Dat should work jus' fine. Worse case...."

104

105

106...

"...we do w'at de ol' man tol' us not to." He smirked, in. Spite of himself. "We use de powers of de X-Men!"
========================================================================
[Windows of the World restaurant]

107 -- BEEP! The doors slid, open. Their floor, had finally. Arrived. Before them. Before them. Before them...

And, what was before them?

A mere shell -- in shambles -- of what, was. To be The Windows of the World restaurant. The one and only.

This was the, opposite. Of what, would've been.....advertised. The whole place, was in. So much disarray...

Huddles of people -- guests, waiter/waistresses, on the. Floor. Witless, and Shivering. Out of fear. Molten puddles, sporadically afoot. Others, incapacitated in, some. Sort of goo. Some people, out. Unconscious.

Across the room, there was. A broken through....window. And in front, of it. Loomed -- in the air itself -- a woman with silver tresses! Beside her, equally held up. Another female, individual. With darker hair, save. The few 'frosted' locks.

DeetDeetDee--

Spark -- Spark -- ZAP!

--frrrrzzzzt!

Huhhh. Some kinda....static-like, shock. Felt. Just now!

Costumed....figures. Lie unconscious, as well. And...

At least, two dozen. And a half. Of the men -- like outside -- in here. With weapons! Then...

"Officers! Officers! HELP -- it's him. Terrible. So terrible....he's back! The HORRIBLE man with the RED EYES....Lord, must be the DEVIL himself, but he's returned!"

??

"I'd never forget a face, Lord oh so help me now! This is not your friend -- make him pay officers. Make him pay for what he did to my Grandson!" Some old lady, was going off. Getting hysterical. Making accusations. One of the armed men, to her. Side. She was pointing, madly. At him.

Who?

Gambit!

"W'at de--?" Did he miss, some. Thing? He looked at, his. Companion. And then, blinked. At the accusing, lil'. Old woman. Yet before, he really had any. Time to react...

"Hold it right there! DON'T YOU MOVE!" The command came. And then, suddenly. It was serious. The situation -- the cursed nightmare -- the....one wherein, they. JUST walked, right into. And had no, clue. What was going on....right?

"Uhh....t'ink maybe dere been some kind o'.....misund'standin', d'accord?" Think. Did he do something, that. Could have caused this? Did he not do something, that. Also could have resulted in this? The silvery 'thing' was a woman, after all! And what about....

Guns, were. Aimed, right at. Him and Jamie now! They meant business. For whatever they think -- or were accusing them of -- having committed.

Spark.

Another voice, further away. Which could easily, be discerned. "Sir. I've just been informed. There are some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that've been jumped outside the building. Their uniforms were taken from them!"

!

Their 'cover' -- if they even had any, at this point -- blown. The heck, away.

A man, dressed in similiar. Black body armor. As them. Dashed on over, to them. He seemed to study. Gambit, more than. Anything. The youth, wasn't given much. Time of day. This, before he. Piped up, words. "Don't even think about breathing at this point. You're coming with us, for the crimes you've committed here tonight! We have a witness.."

Spark.
========================================================================

 

[Lachiyous]

NYC - Rogue and Storm(etc)

[The World Trade Center. Windows of the World restaurant. In Lower Manhattan, New York]

"--I repeat. 0-8-4! TWO of them! We do NOT know anything about---" one of the agents, reached out. Relaying. The situation..."Yes, we need MORE backup. She's still DOWN!"

...and addressing, the entitled 084's...another one. With weapon, lowered. Slowly. Cautiously. Closing the distance, between. Himself, and the open, ed. Window. Wherein the two, women. Were....suspended, in mid. Air!

"You...you both are going to have to come. With us. Until we get...to the bottom of this whole situation. We...need to account for EVERYTHING that's happened. Here tonight. From everyone."

Spark.

Spark.

Spark -- Spark -- ZAP!

"Ouch! What the hell was....."

Spark.

The silver haired one, loomed. And gifted, the agent. With her....words. "You want us to trust you." She began. "Then you should ask your men to lower their weapons, not just your own. Perhaps you could also do something about your friend who is shouting-- and do something about that infernal chirping noise. You desire answers-- I require that no-one be attacked before the truth is discerned. Show us that the latter will not occur, and I will do my best to facilitate the former."

DeetDeetDee--

Spark -- Spark -- ZAP!

--frrrrzzzzt!

Screams, and. Gasps broke, out. Amidst the crowd's, people.

The man, she held. Conversation with. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, which. The woman, spoke to. His eyes, now weary. Darting, the here. And there. All over. At the...sudden, and. 'New' development.

"We don't take orders from the likes of a--" the one. One that, was. Calling in, everything. From before...

"QUIET. I'm in charge here." Her partner-in-dialogue, fired. Right, off.

"But, I--"

"I said quiet." The man, waited. Nodded. Before, taking in a breath. And eyeing the, white. Haired Goddess. Something about her, made. Him, uneasy and. He couldn't, quite. Place it! He swallowed. "Everyone..." he cleared his throat, still. Watching her. "Lower your weapons. Now."

He cast a glance, around. The room, to see. Each agent, follow. Suit, and do. As told. His eyes returned, to her. "Okay. Meeting halfway then. Who...are you? And, uhh..." he motioned to the female, individual. Still by her, side. "...who is she? Because there are a lot of---"

Spark.

"Officers! Officers! HELP -- it's him. Terrible. So terrible....he's back! The HORRIBLE man with the RED EYES....Lord, must be the DEVIL himself, but he's returned!" The little old lady, the one. From before. Whom had, laid. Witness, to....

The event
The whole event.
The one, which resulted into...this.

"I'd never forget a face, Lord oh so help me now! This is not your friend -- make him pay officers. Make him pay for what he did to my Grandson!" An agent, was at her side. As she was, hunched over. And pointing. Clearly all, up. And riled, over. Over....

"W'at de--?" a new voice.

Progress?

Heart-to-heart?

From one, moment. To another?

Lost. Gone. Non-existent....

"Hold it right there! DON'T YOU MOVE!"

"Uhh....t'ink maybe dere been some kind o'.....misund'standin', d'accord?" And thickly, accented. At that!

Weapons -- raised, once more.

"...wait. What's that? I can't hear you. Say that again. Are you sure? Roger." Across the room. The agent, in contact. With the outside, world. As before. "Sir. I've just been informed. There are some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that've been jumped outside the building. Their uniforms were taken from them!"

The man, frowned. That was, somewhat. Before Storm and Rogue. He shook his, head. Casting one more, sidelong glance. At the silvery Goddess. Before hastily, rushing. The newcomer. There was another, by his side. As well.

The stranger, that had spoken. Whom the older lady, had. Singled out, and all but. Condemned, indeed. He did have....these eerie looking, red irises! And he -- they were BOTH adorned in S.H.I.E.L.D. apparel!

(curious, but if. One -- a gaze, which belonged to Rogue. Could spot. The return, indeed. Of the dapper man, which was her 'date'...earlier this, evening. Could she even, REMEMBER that portion. The so, long. Ago? That same man, in a change of. Clothes. Had. Indeed. RETURNED! Could she....see, this. Of him?)

Bang. Got 'im. "Don't even think about breathing at this point. You're coming with us, for the crimes you've committed here tonight! We have a witness.."

Spark -- Spark -- ZAP!
========================================================================

 

[Remec]

Maddrox -- [The World Trade Center. Windows of the World restaurant. Lower Manhattan

Jamie and Gambit were just approaching the base of the tower that led directly up to the Windows of the World restaurant, and Jamie was trying his best to follow along with the French/Cajun accent of the older man as Gambit was going over the steps that had brought them to this point and what they had going for them as far as a lead on Alison's disappearance and what was happening above might or might have to do with it, the maniac Deadpool, and the oddly chirping cellphone Jamie still had clutched in his hand. Gambit's rambling sentence structure was interrupted by the sudden appearance of to armored men in a uniform Jamie vaguely recalled...maybe in some photos at the mansion

"What are you two doing here? You're not permitted to be this close...", one of them began before dropping to the pavement under a sudden blow from Gambit's compressed quarterstaff as he released it to full extension mere inches from the man's head. As the partner turned to react, he got a swat from one heel and crumbled as well. Jamie's eyes grew wide and he opened his mouth to question what Gambit thought he was doing, but Gambit finished his interrupted thought and Jamie nodded.

Yeah, nothing else just isn't going to cut it. If we have to get up there to find new leads, then that's where we have to go. And, he's right, borrowing a few uniforms should be just what we need.

Moments later, the two men were safely hidden away from view and the pair of X-Men were dressed as SHIELD agents, and entered the building. The ploy worked and they were in the elevator within minutes...which dragged on a bit since it wasn't the fastest in express elevators...and Gambit reassured Jamie that their bit of camouflage/disguise would be sufficient. "Goin' use dem. Blend in. Dat should work jus' fine. Worse case, we do w'at de ol' man tol' us not to." He smirked, in. Spite of himself. "We use de powers of de X-Men!"

Their powers might very well come into play as the elevator doors opened and the pair found themselves under the scrutiny of all the assorted groupings of people still in the restaurant. Especially Gambit...especially when one little old woman began shouting stuff about him and calling the people in charge over to deal with it. Jamie realized all eyes were on Gambit and faded back into the background, and then adding to the background by moving behind pieces of furniture or support columns or just any grouping of more than four people. He would get himself into position and snap his fingers, sharply, making a dupe and them moving his selves away from each other. By the time the assembled agents drew on Gambit and the head one ordered him not to even breathe, Jamie had a ring of himself surrounding all of the combined SHIELD and NYPD forces, and joined in holding his (well, the man-who's-uniform-he-was-borrowing's) sidearm trained on Gambit---seemingly trained on Gambit, but actually drawing a bead past the Cajun to the emblem on an agent or similar position on a cop--and awaited the outcome of the little stand-off his leader had found himself in.

All the while, Jamie tried to make sense of what might have happened up here. He took in the two girls and the fallen heroine, and hoped whatever had gone down wasn't as bad as it seemed.

And I really hope we end up on the same side as them. They seem kind of cute.

 

[Remec]

Cannonball -- Russia/Rasputin farm?

Sam hovered above the large field where the car had exploded and waited for an answer from Kitty as to why she was so upset. The answer had come not from words, but from a phasing body slipping through his arms and hands and dropping--not softly--to the ground below.

He winced a bit at the sound of her torso and head made as she landed. The impulse to zip down to her side was temporarily overridden as he hear the screeching brakes and tires of the other car coming to an abrupt stop. Kurt was still in place upon the hood, and Sam watched as one of the occupants slipped through a window to join him atop the car.

She seemed ready for a fight by the stance she presented, and Sam's eyes narrowed and an eyebrow rose as the sound crossed the distance between them. Is she growlin'? What in tarnation? Cannonball reached up to touch his earpiece and ask Nightcrawler, "What's up? Need a hand? Ah'm checking on Kitty still. She's sort of out of it."

He listened for any response as he lowered himself as gently as his roaring blast field allowed him to be down to Kitty's side. She had sat up from her fall, and didn't seem injured; but she sat in a slump and Sam could see heavy streams of tears rushing down both sides of her face. It was like someone had simply opened faucets connected to her eyes. As he shut off his blast field and approached her, he could just make out her pleas to herself.

"...why pete?....," Kitty was saying, "'snot....p-possible....p..l..e..a..s..e....n-not faaiir....."

Not fair? Pete? Oh no...

Sam stepped the last little bit to Kitty and simply threw his arms around her to bring her into what he hoped was a consoling embrace. "There, there, Kitty," Sam said, "Ah've got you. You're okay, and we'll get through this. What's happened?"

He held her and they both sat in the headlights' glow, huddled together for a warmth that had nothing to do with the weather or time of night.

 

[KattDclaw]

The fade white Volkswagen Beetle sat near the curb of the otherwise unoccupied street. It was quiet outside, the wind blowing idly by and the sound of the occasional car horn echoing in the distance. The car itself had seen better days, riddled with bullet holes, scratches and dents and a distinctive splatter of something bright red here and there. The backseat could have easily passed for a crime scene, the amount of dried blood was disturbing,though the smears and splattering indicated that whatever had bled out was moved from its position in the back seat. Otherwise the car stood abandoned, forgotten by its owner, those that had driven here, even time itself. How it hadn't gotten towed sitting out here on the busy street was amazing, it didn't even have a ticket tucked under the windshield wiper. The sight was peculiar and out of place, like it didn't really belong here on this city street nestled in the heart of New York City. It was left abandoned, forgotten by all parties involved, well, except for one single soul.

The Beetle jostled suddenly, the rusty suspension springs creaking and groaning. It was a subtle tip to the side, like someone pushing against it. Then it happened again, this time the opposite side and stronger. The car lurched and groaned, repeating the process all over again. There came a commotion too, a dull thud that echoed from inside the tiny compartment of a trunk. It was followed by several more, each one growing louder and more aggressive. By now the car was shaking violently, being thrashed about by whatever was inside. There came a scream, a gut wrenching keening wail of outrage followed by a strung of slurred curse words that would make a sailor brush.

“What the SHIT, Man!” The gravely, crackling voice finally blurted out after taking a breath. It was the grating kind of sound that was akin to nails on a chalkboard. Few could withstand that tone long before giving over to annoyance, like trying to swat a fly that was buzzing around your head. “Lemme the fuck outta here!”

Have you tried the emergency release?

“I can't even see my hand before my face. How the fuck am I gonna find that? Besides I'm pretty sure this clunker is old as shit. It smells like cat piss and sadness back here.”

You sure that isn't you?

“Alright, maybe the cat piss part. A little, but the litter is so crunchy...like rice crispy treats..”

Uh, let's focus here...

Did you try the password?

“The wha?”

You know, the password. All important doors have them.

“This isn't Alli-Fucking Ababwah's cave, dipshit!” Deadpool thrashed about, trying to get into a better position to kick at the latch. There wasn't much room to speak of, especially wrapped like a mummy in this ridiculous fluffy blanket.

“Those fuckers stuffed me in here like a dirty old carpet. When I get outta here I'm gonna show them...”

Show them what, exactly?

“Uh...That you don't mess with Deadpool, Muthafuckah!” Deadpool hesitated, before adding Muthafuckah, because that made everything cooler.

For shizzle!

...no..just no...

“Yeah. Let's stay away from that...it's a little dated, don't yah think?”

Right...sorry.

“S'alright. Pobuddy's Nerfect. Now let's focus getting out of here!”

Katt...

“Yeah?”

You do remember that they stuffed you in here with all your gear right?

“Wait. Really? Oh shiiiiiit! For realz! What a bunch of chumps!” She let out a spine shivering titter as her hands groped about blindly in the dark till they fell upon her nearby pack.

After a few silent moments of fumbling there was an audible click of a gun being loaded, then all hell busted loose! The hood of the car exploded with shrapnel and flying bullets as Deadpool unloaded a clip into it, completely missing anything vital in the process.

Uh...the lock?

“Oh right, thanks!” She corrected her aim, a little lower and let fly another spray of bullets. The sound was deafening inside the tiny little compartment, but the ringing would fade eventually. Yah superhuman healing factor! With the lock ruined and the metal giving way, Deadpool was able to put her strength behind a forceful shove and violently popped it open. She emerged like a graceful Narwhal, screaming like William Wallace as took to a dramatic pose and breathed in the fresh air. Fresh was a relative term, she sucked in the exhaust and carcinogens of city life with a smile, followed by a lung wrenching cough.

“I'm back bitches! You better be ready because I'm about to fuuuuck up your day! I...hey...” She blinked as the whites of her mask swirled about in a desperate attempt to find anyone of importance. She looked for the Cajun dude, the other guy that made more of himself, even her bestie Wolvie, but found nothing but an empty street.

“Wait a minute. Where the fuck did everyone go?” She gawked, climbing out of the trunk and tugging up her mask. Her short, brown mane fluttered about her face as she narrowed her big, bright brown eyes and slowly looked around.

Hm. Looks like the thread's dead.

“No way! When the fuck did that happen?”

Uh...awhile ago it seems. We've been in that trunk for awhile. Almost a year.

“Aaah..fuck! Seriously?” Deadpool huffed as she snatched up her phone and flipped through a few screens, bringing up her link to the Lit thread: X-Men: A bright New World (IC). Her gaze skimmed over the lengthy posts, finding the last one had been posted sometime in November.

“Well, Fuck. What are we suppose to do now?” She sighed dramatically, her shoulders slouching and her head hanging in defeat.

Well...we could go to the movies. The new Deadpool movie just came out. I hear Ryan Reynolds is faaabulous.

“Huh? You mean the guy that played the Green Lantern? Pft...he's a hack. Hasn't been good since Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place.”

Netflix and Chill?

Deadpool took a deep breath and let it out as a long, drawn out sigh. Her hands came to settle on her hips as she looked up and down the street, tapping her right foot as she contemplated her next move.

“There's always that dancing chicken...” She started.

Aw, C'mon! We haven't been to the movies in ages! I'll buy the popcorn.

“Fine! Shit...I didn't know you were such a Ryan Reynolds fanboy...” She sighed again, tugging her mask back on.

It's got Inara in it too.

“Well why the fuck didn't you start with that?” Deadpool huffed as she strode back towards the Beetle and dove into the front seat. She started it up and revved the pitiful engine before shifting it into drive.

“Let's ride into the sunset. Like Thelma and Louise!”

You know they died in the end, right?

“Don't sass me, boy! Let's roll!”

And with that she drove off into the sunset, ending this chapter just as it began, confusing and jumbled.

The End!​