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"This is now simultaneously the scariest and the safest place for me to be," Illyana said, possibly agreeing with Pyotr's assessment. "There's only ever been about fifty mutants in the enhancement program, or at least that's what I found out, and half of them are dead or missing, and most of the rest are a bit..." She made the complicated gesture of scooping her brain out and putting it back in upside-down. "But now there's this place, and there's a thousand mutants here, and it's like... like being in the middle of the Cold War and finding out that the side with the most nukes is actually Switzerland." Jean, could you join me in my mind for a minute? The Professor telepathically reached out to Jean. Forge is being a bit... his mind is... well, I could do with evening the odds. He's not the easiest psyche to work with, especially when he's like this. Outside the study, Nocture gave Wolverine a light pat on the shoulder. "I wish I could say something very wise on the subject, but that sort of thing isn't exactly my area of expertise. Now, if you want to talk about how to wear an eyepatch... that I can help with." She grinned. "But I doubt that's something you'd ever need to worry about. And hey, who knows? Maybe your memories are trying to grow back, too." In the hallway, Rita called back over her shoulder. "I just gotta phone my mom real quick it's fine!!"
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Apr 10, 2019 21:22
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Jean Grey PP: 1 | XP: 6 Jean watches Illyana quietly. It still felt a bit like taking a shark into the tank. But... probably better to make the mistake of trusting instead of not? But Xavier's interruption gets her attention. . o O (Evening the odds...? What are you doing, exactly?), she thinks, reaching out telepathically.
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Apr 11, 2019 15:04
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 27 Jane can't help but smile at that. She says, "Tell you what, if I ever decide to change up the costume, you'll be the first to know. I suppose one might come in handy if we go spelunking on one of these missions." She's not so sure about the memories, but there's no rushing that. Only time would tell what she found on the other side.
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Apr 12, 2019 01:24
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Lee PP: 3 | XP: 8 Ducking out as Rita flees past another doorframe, Lee scoops the younger girl up with a hug around the waist, as gently as she thinks to make it. “Oooh no y’don’t,” she tells her prisoner, turning them back to Rita’s other pursuer. “Moms can wait right now. You can’t just tell people provocative things and run off!” “Wanna debrief her ourselves,” she calls to Clarice. “Or should we get someone more psychic involved?”
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Apr 12, 2019 13:47
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Pyotr PP: 1| XP: 14 "We do not have the most nukes," said Pyotr. "We have the most scared teenagers. The most people without homes and the most people with found families." He leant back and folded his arms. "You need to stop thinking about this in terms of who has the most weapons." "We are not weapons. We are people," he grunted. "And what happened to your accent?"
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Apr 12, 2019 18:30
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Blink PP: 1|XP: 18| Stress: Clarice skids to a stop as Rita shouts her excuse and then as Lee appears out of nowhere - thinking for a moment that perhaps she had developed some teleportation powers of her own. But she raises an eyebrow and shakes her head, causing the braid in her hair to flop back and forth for a moment as she considers. "No, if Rita wanted the psychics to know she would have told them - she's probably worried that us hanging around so many means we'll end up spilling the beans, even if we didn't want to." She admits as she steps closer to the two, then she bends and meets Rita's eyes with her own, smiling. "But, I don't think you have anything to worry about, Rita. Starbright and I are plenty good at keeping secret things secret. So tell us what's going on, and maybe we can do something about it?"
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Apr 12, 2019 19:05
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The Professor's mindscape was, at present, a fastidiously tidy garage. Despite there being engine parts everywhere, there wasn't so much of a blot of oil anywhere on the ground. All the parts were lined up, aligned with mechanical precision, and it took a moment to recognise they weren't actually on the floor, but floating a little ways above it. The Professor himself was seated in a comfortable armchair, fingers steepled but with a welcoming smile as Jean arrived. He gestured across the room to the mental manifestation of Forge's consciousness. Both of them. "Jean, this is Forge, and this is Maker," said the Professor, and both of them looked exactly alike, and yet completely different. Forge's face was lined with emotion and expression. Maker's... wasn't. The Professor seemed a bit weary as he continued. "We're mediating an argument." "It's not an argument, I only dreamed I made this," snapped Forge, waving his hand angrily at the engine parts. Maker's eyes followed Forge's hand with indifferent curiosity, like an animal only paying attention to the movement. "Charles, someone's been messing with my head!" "Ah, but which one," mumbled the Professor, so quiet only Jean could hear. "What was requested was provided," said Maker, and even though there was some sort of emotion to his voice, it wasn't all there. Outside the psychic world, in the study, Illyana gave a little shrug. "Blame spy school, on both counts. It's literally how I was programmed to think. If I wasn't such a teacher's pet they probably would have gone deeper with it, but you know how I used to be with mom and dad. All smiles and obedience on the outside the moment they wanted me to do something I didn't want to do. Only this time around it was a lot worse than chores and curfews." She paused and sighed heavily. "It is going to take a lot of getting used to, being a... being a person again. It might have only been months for you, Pyotr, but the stuff they do with your head... it feels like years for me. In my head I've got decades of training I never took, the knowledge of a native I most certainly am not, even briefings from missions that happened before I was born... but I could tell you exactly what the air smelled like in the room." In the hallway, Rita was feistier than expected, but quickly calmed down when Blink spoke up. The water-breathing girl fidgeted for a moment and then explained herself. "With all the weird stuff that's been going on lately, I thought that I'd seen someone spying on us, but... I think..." she hesitated, her cheeks going red. "I think it might be my stupid hobo dad following me instead. I wanted to call my mom and ask her about him, she's... never really said much. Except for the stupid hobo part. I mean, I think she said no-good drifter as well, but like... I've never actually met him. I just get a card on my birthday, stuff like that." She'd gotten progressively quieter and gloomier as she'd gone on. It wasn't exactly a secret that Rita came from a poor, single-parent family. But it wasn't something that Rita liked to talk about, and apparently the subject of her estranged father just compounded that. She'd happily talk about how wonderful and supportive her mother was, but this was probably the first time she'd so much as mentioned she knew anything about her father.
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Apr 19, 2019 16:31
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Blink PP: 1|XP: 19| Stress: Blink purses her lips together and plays with the end of her braid while she considers. She wasn't really expecting an actual like, conversation or personal problems. Though, she wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, either, and the girl seemed to be kind of okay with her for whatever reason. Clarice's family situation was...eh. She was a runaway after all! Not that she couldn't visit whenever she wanted to but...well she didn't want to. And Lee's situation wasn't any better - were they really the best two to deal with this sort of thing? Her too-green eyes shifted to one side for a second, and then returned to the front, to Rita's- dazzling brightly as she came to some sort of conclusion. "Well, we'll just have to go figure out what it is your dad wants, then! Starbright and me, I mean - if that's okay with you, that is?" She shrugs. "You can call your mum if you want to, but I mean, no need to freak out, at least not yet. Just, uh...where was the last place you saw him? We'll go scope it out!" Taking an xp from Blink and You'll Miss It Because offering to go off half-cocked to investigate is definitely better than talking about one's feelings LifeGetsWorser fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Apr 19, 2019 |
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Apr 19, 2019 18:05
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Rita made an expression best described as reluctant panic, shrinking back. "Outside the chess tournament? He was just sort of... there, hanging out on the street, but because of what happened at the mall his face popped out at me... and uh... you weren't around for the mall thing, but maybe you had a... de-briefing about it? It was crazy."
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Apr 19, 2019 18:14
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Pyotr PP: 1| XP: 14 Pete was halfway between being angry at Illyanna for not registering the students as something and halfway between angry at the people that had done this to her. Actually, no. He was way angrier at the people that'd done that. He'd pinballed between sadness, joy and anger pretty quickly. "Okay, Illy," he said, quietly. "I need you to tell me where the Enhancement Program is based. I am going to get Clarice and she is going to open a portal to there and then I am going to step through and start swinging fists until I find the right person to hit." His voice cooled. "They have come to my home and to my family and my new family," he said. "Point me at them, and I will make a crater of everything they have built."
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Apr 23, 2019 22:00
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"Oh, ah... um..." Illyana tugged at her hair nervously. "I don't actually know where anything is, really. No windows, no doors – or at least, no doors I was allowed near. We were teleported in and out like it was a video game. I'm not even sure if I kept returning to the same place, everything was white walls and bright lights... not helpful, I know, and I'm sorry. Trust is an issue, especially in light of... well, they did have a bit of a civil war. Things fell apart a few decades back, personnel took sides, and now you've got two competing operations, fighting each other for control over... assets." She gestured to herself when she said "assets", and then smiled and tapped the side of her head. "Mission briefings, all stored up here. Our side – my side – I mean, the side I was working for – that's the Project. They consider themselves to be the originals, trying to shut down a rogue unit. That's the Factory, who are less interested in controlling the world order and more interested in making money... but that's a biased opinion from twenty years ago so, ah... I don't know what to say. Plus, from what I can remember in these implanted memories, there seems to be a third group... made up of renegades. Free agents, who are probably not too happy about being experimented on, brainwashed, and so on... I can recall more than a few briefings about recapturing lost Weapons."
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Apr 23, 2019 22:27
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 27 Jane walks back into the study in time to hear Illyana spill about her connection to the Weapons. Her eyes narrow, flicking between Pete and his sister, then she says, "You can say that again. If I get my hands on those brainwashing f—" Her eyes flick to the Professor, then she bites back what she was about to say. "They're not going to like what happens. Not at all."
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Apr 23, 2019 22:52
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Pyotr PP: 1| XP: 14 "Great. So of our three people that know about the big conspiracy, one does not know anything, another one has a brain that is like scrambled egg, and another is in medical bay in a coma because they will explode if we wake them back up again." Pete grunted. "Who would know? Give me name, me and Jane get answers."
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Apr 23, 2019 23:04
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"I can give you a lot of codenames, but they're not particularly useful," said Illyana. "Spy school, remember? Although... there were a number of assets outside the Project who could be a link in. I don't think any of them really know who or what they were working for, probably assumed it was military contracts or something, but it's leads we could chase up." She clapped her hands together and smiled. "Scarcely five minutes after defecting and I'm already doing counterintelligence! But rather than go in swinging, brother dearest, I think it might be more prudent to watch and wait... after all, these people are just the bait. Then we can go in swinging." With a pen and some post-it notes grabbed from the Professor's desk while he was busy dealing with psychic matters, Illyana set about jotting down names and details. "Kelly's first on the list... then Gyrich, of course... can't forget the Silicon Valley dweeb... and for added emphasis I will underline the part that says not to punch these people, which I have written in English and Russian."
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May 10, 2019 23:41
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Rene - Wolfsbane PP: 1 | XP: 19 | Complications: Man, what a day! Rene groaned as she stretched some of the soreness away. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, she noticed a pulled muscle in her back, it'd heal somewhat quickly, but still, ow. Well, it could go with her gunshot wound. She could have totally done with a hot bath. But she should really get this looked at. A pained shiver passing through her as she considers the possibility of the bullets being laced with some kinda crazy poison! Yeah, she should totally go to the nurses office.
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May 13, 2019 22:12
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Pyotr PP: 1| XP: 14 Pete narrowed his eyes and frowned at being told to wait. "We don't need to go in swinging," he said. He looked at the Professor and Jean. "We can have these two go into their heads and pull the information out."
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May 14, 2019 22:33
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 27 Jane's eyes flick between the two, but she rapidly loses interest when it sounds like revelations aren't in the cards. She turns for the door, "Well, when you get a lead or beat a confession out or whatever the plan is, let me know." Headed back through the halls of the mansion, it takes her about two seconds to pick up Rene's trail and she intercepts her in the nurse's office. Jane says, unusually soft for her usual gruff affect, "You okay, Rene? Been quiet after everything that went down today."
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May 14, 2019 22:48
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Jean Grey PP: 1 | XP: 6 Looking to Maker, Jean blinks, absorbing all this. Looking into other teenage heads was... not intentional, but usually not miles from her own. Or, at least, they had a "there but for the comfort of a stable home go I". Adults were usually something else. But she asks the obvious questions. "Who requested this? And what did they request?", she asks, walking up towards the engine. She wasn't exactly a mechanical wizard, but maybe its purpose was clearer up close? She looks to Forge as well, quizzical.
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May 15, 2019 02:52
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Lee PP: 3 | XP: 8 Lee takes Rita’s responses with relative stoicism, including the stray elbow the girl planted in her kidney in her initial struggle. She does lower her back to the ground, however, before crossing her arms with a frown. “That’s... not a lot to go on,” she finally adds, glancing at Clarice. Family and malls weren’t her favorite subjects to begin with. “Unless we were gonna just go ourselves.” The idea sounds stupid before it’s out of her mouth, but any excuse to blink AWOL for a little while was fine by Lee.
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May 15, 2019 13:40
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Blink PP: 1|XP: 19| Stress: "Right! Well then, let's go!" Blink says with a smirk. But before opening a portal, she seems to remember something, and adds: "Oh, and uh, unless you wanted to come along Rita, what's your dad look like? You know, just in case we spot him for you?"
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May 16, 2019 04:17
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Rene - Wolfsbane PP: 1 | XP: 19 | Complications: Rene shrugged noncommittally. "I guess when I came to this school. I don't think I ever get shot. I don't know... it's kinda... unsettling." She scratched her cheek. "I mean, I could have been shot, a lot... and I'm not quite as bullet proof as you." She smiled weakly. "Now that the adrenaline has worn off, it's kinda sinking in."
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May 16, 2019 20:35
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 28 Jane gives that the ol' slow nod. She says, "...Yeah, I can imagine. We're kind of an odd bunch, when you get down to it. You've got people like me or Pete's sister who are here because, y'know, fuckin' black ops people doing all sorts of nasty experiments, but a lot of you... I don't know, Rene. You and Jean and, I dunno, Blink... You aren't forced into this secret commando stuff." Wrapping an arm around Rene, Jane pulls her in for a hug. She says, "We've all got stuff we can do, though. You could be an ace search-and-rescue first responder, right? The nose, the strength to move rubble... I don't blame you for not wanting to get shot. Hell, I'm pretty sure the only reason it doesn't gently caress me up is that I've got all the self-preservation bits in my head turned off. Thanks, creepy black-ops types." Talking about those past struggles for 1xp!
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May 16, 2019 20:54
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Rene - Wolfsbane PP: 1 | XP: 19 | Complications: Rene's nose was filled with Jane's scent. A primal excitement, a hiedy mix of sweat, battle, rage... there was comfort in that. Thought she refused to give into the urge to roll over and present her throat. Or try to beg for scritches. No, down girl, down. "Look, it's not that I don't... enjoy helping. I do. I loving love it. Well, the wolf loves it... okay, so do I. And, to be honest, I've no idea what these suits are made of, but nothing does that form fitting thing like these do, and honestly that's pretty great...." She pauses for a few moments, refocusing her thoughts. "I don't think I can turn my back on this. I've got nothing to go back to. You're not the only one with stuff in their past. Besides... Someone needs to stop you from running too far ahead. Might as well be the one who can't stop staring at your buns."
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May 16, 2019 21:55
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 28 Jane can't help but laugh at that, "Can't argue with you there, I guess. But, Rene..." She meets Rene's eyes, all serious. "I need someone to come back to. Don't do anything too crazy, alright? I don't know what I'd do if... y'know."
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May 19, 2019 17:19
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"That's the thing, they don't have information," chided Illyana. "Or at least, not information on the Project. They're just as much cogs in the machine as any of us... and by us I mean the brainwashed living weapons, not mutants in general. Senator Kelly gets a lot of kickbacks for pushing anti-mutant narratives, for instance, but it's all earmarked as coming from coal and oil lobbyists. But if we could find out which lobbyists he's meeting with, which ones are the fakes, and then follow them... then we can start lifting information from brains." She tapped the list with a manicured finger. "These aren't the puppet masters, they're the bait." Inside Forge's mindscape, the engine cracked like an egg down the middle and began to unfold. It seemed to expand as it did, and it was like suddenly they were all inside the engine instead. But it was something far more complex, far more intricate, like a gossamer fractal in places. "The car engine was a metaphor, because Charles isn't good with machines," said Forge. "Neither are you, technically speaking," rebutted the Professor, which got him a sour look from both Forge and Maker. He cleared his throat and continued in a detached way. "Forge's mutation has been developing for decades, as best as I can describe it, it's a psychic library of every mechanical and scientific concept that exists or could exist. I must confess that neither of us know where this information comes from, but it resonates within his brain separately to his natural psyche. In a sense, like a natural version of what I experienced with Adonis Fourie." "Yes, compare the way my brain works to a psychotic parasite," sighed Forge. "Psychic parasite." "I know what I said. Regardless, Jean," Forge added, turning to face Jean. "It's like having my own personal research laboratory. I have an idea, and this guy... develops it properly, for me to build. But I should be the only one who gets to put in requests. Which means someone's been tricking me into developing their technology for them." He gestured to the wall of parts and components that had been the engine, which collapsed back down into the form of the mechanical arm that Wolverine had brought back. "I instinctively know when a piece of technology is mine. Part of my mutation, maybe, but I always know. And this? It's mine. Might as well have my signature on it." Back in the real world, in the hallway, Rita was making gestures as she spoke rapidly, going so far as to smush her own face around to try and imitate her own father. "He's real tall, big shoulders, beard like this... archy eyebrows... one of those, um, those roamy noses? I have my mom's nose, though, and her eyes." She realised she was getting off-topic and rallied. "He was wearing a big coat, old blue coat, and a beanie. Hopefully that doesn't also describe about fifty other guys...? I should probably come with you... I mean... could I come with you? Maybe we'll need to swim somewhere..." She awkwardly scratched the back of her head. Despite the progress she'd made over the last few months, she was still insecure about her powers. Being friends with the team was a mixed bag. On the one hand, hanging out with the cool older kids did wonders for her mood. On the other hand, it was always a reminder that some mutants could teleport across the planet, some could lift trucks with their minds, some could control the weather with a thought... and Rita? Rita could breathe water, and got headaches when she didn't.
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May 19, 2019 18:47
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Jean Grey PP: 1 | XP: 6 "I'm not exactly a nuclear engineer, either." Looking over to Forge. "Looks like we need a look at the log- er, memories of that side of you, if you'd be willing." She looks to Xavier, and then back to Forge. "We can't exactly interpret blueprints, but brainprints..." She bites her lip with a slight grin. "Okay. That was bad. But it unless your brain can volunteer the requester, it's what we've got."
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May 20, 2019 00:17
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Blink PP: 1|XP: 19| Stress: Clarice bit her bottom lip, considering. Clearly on one hand it was a pretty dumb idea to bring Rita along - Blink was the opposite of a responsible babysitter, and Starbright wasn't much better (and might be worse?). But on the other hand, Blink was pretty tired of being told what she can't do. And being picked on by her erstwhile teammates. And really was sick of having to behave herself in the way that people who can't open giant glowing portals to other places needed to. She could see a lot of that in Rita, too. So after a second, she grinned. "Yeah, of course you can! Let's do it!" She waves one hand in front of the three of them and... BLUNK! A side street near the chess tournament could be seen through the portal. Not heavily trafficked or anything, the sort of thing Clarice had spotted on the way over - alleyways were generally easiest if one wasn't going directly for the "After you guys!"
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May 20, 2019 06:39
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Lee PP: 3 | XP: 8 Clarice’s agreement, perhaps for the best, preempts Lee’s own intended response of “poo poo, why not,” so instead she just gives a thumbs up of assent. “Well,” Lee adds after their portal opens, turning to Rita and gesturing ahead, “you’re the eyes here.” And definitely not because I still just... don’t like being first through these things, she thinks.
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May 24, 2019 01:00
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"It'll be memories of a dream, I don't know how well they'll hold up... it was vivid, but it was also more than a year ago," said Forge, and looked over to the Professor. "A little help, Charles? You know where to look for dreams, right?" The garage fizzled and faded, taking the Maker along with it. He was as dispassionate about disappearing as anything else. From the darkness came a thwack-thwack as wooden boards emerged from nothing and surrounded the three of them, squeezing in tight to form the interior of a crate. The board kept squeezing in, merging and melding into walls, until it was a cramped and sparse room with nothing but a desk and a door without a handle, but with a slot down at the bottom. Like a prison door. There were piles of chains everywhere, strung down from the ceiling, the walls, and all of them wrapped around an empty shape that could have been Forge, if he hadn't been standing outside his own dream, looking in. "This is it," said Forge, scratching the back of his arm uneasily. "Can't believe you've got it looking so–" He was interrupted by the metallic clang of the slot on the door slamming open, sending a shaft of brilliant light across the floor for a moment before it slammed shut again. There was a sheet of paper still settling, and Forge nodded toward it. "That's how it went. Stuck in this room, this tiny room, and... this paper comes through, and... Charles?" The Professor was steepling his fingers, his brow furrowed, a perceptible trickle of sweat on his forehead. His wide, alarmed eyes flicked over to Forge, and then to Jean. She could definitely feel the same thing that he was feeling. The rigidity under the dreamlike imagery. The way it echoed. "This isn't a dream," the Professor said quietly. "This is someone else's memory. Someone with a... psychic link to your mind, your mutation." In New York City, Rita had stepped through the portal and was doing her absolute best to be one of the team and definitely not have a panic attack. It was going reasonably well, for Rita. "Oh jeez, oh jeez, we should have got Juh-Wuh-Wolverine to come too, I d-don't know h-how I'm going to find my d-dumb hobo dad in a city full of people, and hobos, and– and–" she gasped for breath and put her hands up to her head. "G-Great, now my head h-hurts again..." The place still seemed in an uproar after the incident, with the two-tone flashing lights of the police casting red and blue shadows across storefronts, and the presence of MRD vehicles quite noticeable. Regardless of what had actually occurred, no doubt this was being spun as a mutant terrorist attack. Maybe the Brotherhood would get the credit, who knew. Rita groaned as she looked down the side street at the police cordons, but rallied herself. "OK, OK, so... it's probably going to take a while to find him, but he probably left when the cops showed up, so um... I guess we could try and find all the places you can see the hotel but can't be spotted from the street, because um... he might..." She'd trailed off in the middle of looking around, focused on something behind Blink and Lee. It was a bearded man, tall and broad-shouldered, in an old blue coat and shapeless hat. He had one hand on the wall, as if he'd been leaning there, but when he took it away chunks of the masonry came with it. "Those things of yours aren't exactly subtle, are they? I saw them from all the way–" "HOBO DAD!" Rita yelled, pointing at him, and interrupting him in the middle of his laconic introduction. He looked absolutely dumbstruck, eyes wide and mouth open. Rita slapped one hand over her mouth and mumbled something that might have been an apology. "I... had... hoped we would meet properly under... better... circumstances," said the stranger, haltingly, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hobo dad? Really? I thought your mother and I parted on better terms than that." "'m sorry," squeaked Rita. "S-She does call you her mysterious prince when she's had enough wine." The man laughed with embarrassment, a thoroughly human reaction. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked to Blink and Lee. "I'd like to call a truce with your... Institute, if you'd let me. The Project made a move against one of yours, and that puts us on the same side. Plus... I've seen how good you've been to the ones I care about. Trust is a rare commodity in this game, but I'll trust you, and you can trust me. I swear on it." He took a few steps forward, and then stopped, tapping his forehead in mock admonishment. "Ah, excuse my manners. I'm so used to everyone I meet knowing who I am that I didn't even think to introduce myself. My name is Roman McKenzie, and I am indeed Rita's father. But I'm better known in the game as Weapon One." 
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May 30, 2019 19:13
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 Undisclosed location, 1958: "Gentlemen, someone's been killing Nazis in South America." McKenzie cocked an eyebrow, his hands behind his head and his feet up on the desk in front of him. The room was claustrophobic, low ceiling and crammed with enough chairs for a lecture, even if there were only four people in the room. The faulty air conditioning kept the stale cigarette smoke swirling in pointless eddies. But McKenzie didn't smoke, something about the whole thing bothered him. Besides, soggy cigarettes would be a liability all things considered. "Are you accusing us of working off the clock?" He asked, to a snort of laughter from two rows behind him. "Zip it," the handler snapped, levelling a finger at McKenzie. "Your dear old Uncle Sam laid claim to every Nazi west of the Curtain, and he does not appreciate someone eliminating potential assets." McKenzie's smile faded, just slightly. "Sorry, I must be going deaf in my old age. But I remember when our orders were to kill Nazis." "Times change, One. We've got plenty of Nazis just across the border doing things with rockets, and for much the same reason we want these two." The lights flickered and dimmed even more, and a slide was projected on the white screen behind the nameless handler. "Meet your targets, Weber and Schneider. High ranking members of the elite science division, did a lot of naughty things back in the day. But we want what's in their heads, and you are going to bring them to us, safe and sound, all wrapped up with a pretty li'l bow. Understand?" McKenzie closed his eyes and rolled his head back. One, Two, Three. Now just One. This would have been easier if... no, that was quitter talk. He could put his faith in the young blood. He opened one eye and looked at Weapon Six. An imperceptible nod. Time to dance. Twenty minutes later, the wail of a siren was echoing down halls pockmarked with bullet holes. Now. "My apologies for keeping you standing out here, Mr. McKenzie," said the Professor, Nocturne and Forge at his side. The psychic therapy session had been cut short when Blink had brought back the unexpected guest, right to the mansion's doorstep. "But we've been having a difficult evening so far." McKenzie looked around at the state of the front porch and the drive, the aftermath of the puppets making their attack. "No need to apologise, it's a tactically sound decision. These are your, ah... X-Men, correct? Awful lot of young ladies among your 'men', it seems." "That's a long story," replied the Professor with a thin smile. "As is yours, I can only assume." "I recognise that little tickle in the back of my skull... no wonder they want you dead, son," said McKenzie, eyes glinting. "О, это бугмен," Illyana whispered to Pyotr, half-hidden behind him. "Я видел его лицо раньше."
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Jun 11, 2019 15:15
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Rene - Wolfsbane PP: 1 | XP: 19 | Complications: Rene glanced at the rest of the team... "huh" She'd never really noticed. At least, not in that sense. Obviously she'd noticed nearly everyone was girls, how could she not? But she'd never stopped to think how odd that was. Was it odd? She didn't really know that many other super groups. She shook her head, wasn't important. What was important was this old wolf, err man. Or maybe he was more like a tiger. Lone, and powerful. Powerful in that kinda alpha masculine warrior way. At least the Wolf had sat still, even though it itched at her to start getting a good wiff of this guy, she was trying to be a good dog- err, girl, she meant girl. Plus it would be super rude to run over and start snuffling at his hands. Probably. "Umm, who is that?" She whispered to Rita. Given that, despite her age, Rita always seemed to know what was going on around here. It must have been her adorableness, who could ever resist Rita asking questions. No one would dare feeling the guilt of making her disappointed. Had Rita not proven her swimming ability, then Rene was sure that her mutation was super effective puppy eyes.
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Jun 11, 2019 19:01
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Blink PP: 1|XP: 19| Stress: Clarice considered interjecting so that Rita didn't have to draw attention to herself, but she didn't have a way to interject without saying "it's her dad, duh!" and in a momentary flicker of understanding, figured the girl might not want to be open with it since she and Lee had to coax it out of her to begin with. Instead, Blink took a step back and said, obviously avoiding the topic. "So uh, everyone who wanted to meet you met you, Professor. At least this time around - I was gonna maybe go find something to do in the city unless you needed me for something else? I mean you can mind-whammy me and I'll hop right back over anyway. Does anybody wanna go get a hot dog or something?"
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Jun 11, 2019 20:24
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 3 (25 reserved for story-based advances) Jane takes a half-step in front of Rene, her arm held out as if to protect her from the sudden attack of, say, a semi-retired genetically-engineered-and-enhanced super-soldier. Jane says, "What's your game now, Roman? Are Ten and Nineteen going to be joining us?" She sniffs the air, experimentally. 'Bag of angry cats' was a pretty hard scent to miss. Jane hadn't forgotten the way he'd teased knowledge of her past, nor the implication of his role in the game they'd found themselves tied up in. Hopefully the Professor's sessions had fixed that mental trigger he'd dropped on her at the mall. That... was not her favorite. It'd make it real tricky to carve him like roast if he tried anything.
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Jun 12, 2019 06:04
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Pyotr PP: 1| XP: 14 Pete kind of just wanted to sleep. It felt like it'd been weeks since they'd had a moment to breathe, but here he was standing in the same group as everyone else. He could hear Illyanna mutter behind him and he shifted; at some point he'd managed to find a hoodie to pull on and just stood there looking as intimidating as he could. He folded his arms over his chest and glared down at Roman. "Rita likes you," sniffed Pete. "But my sister does not-" he said before it dawned on him where he'd seen him before. In his defence, about five minutes afterwards, a helicopter landed on his skull and exploded after he took several concussions in quick succession. Memories of that day are a little bit hazy. "From the mall. I called you some unsavoury names." He extended a hand to shake to Roman. He had a hell of a grip and, if Roman went for it, he'd vice grip him.
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Jun 14, 2019 16:49
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Rita had taken up occupancy roughly halfway between Mr. McKenzie and the Professor, not out of conflicted loyalty, but perhaps to better make sure nobody started anything. She may have felt she was not that useful in a fight, but she had guts and was hoping nobody was willing to go through a little girl to throw a punch. "It's my hobo dad," she whispered back to Wolfsbane, causing Mr. McKenzie's eye to twitch just a bit. He still wasn't over that nickname. "I should say you'd know better, but at this point I'm surprised you even know their numbers," he said, addressing Wolverine's question. "There was a time, once, when you and I were the closest of friends... but to reassure you, the Factory thinks I'm in Boston, with a little help from... another friend you've forgotten." He took a step in to shake Colossus by the hand, and didn't seem too bothered by the vice grip. In fact his hand seemed about as strong and as durable as Colossus's own. It was like trying to crush solid granite. He looked the big Russian in the eye with a smile. "All's forgiven, my large friend. You've done an excellent job of looking after Rita. I could not have asked for a better protector for my little one." "Я слышал о вас всю правду?" Illyana asked, a little louder than necessary. Mr. McKenzie gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Я хотел бы знать, какие ужасные истории они рассказывают обо мне," he replied. "I'm sure there's a grain of truth in there somewhere, but... believe me, I only do what is necessary to help those like you and me. We are not weapons, no matter what they tell us."
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Jun 18, 2019 13:50
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Lee PP: 3 | XP: 18 “Okay, uh, not to be rude,” Lee says, as her scowl at Rita’s dad openly contradicts the sentiment. “But most of us didn’t mutate to understand languages or whatever, and I don’t even know what this-” she wiggles her fingers ominously- “project is, so could someone please explain why we’re more worried about Andy Warhol tracking you down than CSS?” This man and his chummily mysterious attitude had been wearing on Lee since he jumped them, and his daughter’s presence was starting to feel more like an intentional shield than an accident. Stepping up next to Pete, she fixes hobo dad with the most withering glare she can muster. “We’ve trusted you, so mind sharing with the class?” Claiming 10 XP for clearing A Dark In The Lightness, replacing with Teenage Revolution
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Jun 18, 2019 14:24
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 3 (25 reserved for story-based advances) Jane gives Roman a mirthless smile, "Laundry or no, I'm not going to forget a bunch of numbered weirdos dropping their codenames all over the mall. They got pretty chatty while we were chasing them off."
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Jun 25, 2019 07:18
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"They never did run an op they didn't want to black bag their way out of," Mr. McKenzie said with a half-sigh, half-chuckle, and then sobered up. "All right, cards on the table. Some years after the Great War, some... parties, interested in the future of warfare, started up an off-the-books project to develop that future ahead of schedule. It became known as the Weapon Plus Project, and one of its aspects was to make a better soldier. Someone who was stronger, faster, more capable than the average human being. That was me, and eventually that was you, too." He pointed at Wolverine when he said this, and then clenched his fist slowly. You didn't have to be a telepath to read the conflicted emotion. "I was lucky enough to get out before they'd perfected the laundry room – their method for scrubbing a brain clean of its prior memories. Between that and my activities the past few decades, I'm at the top of a few lists... persona non grata among the players of the game. Even after the civil war, when the Factory broke off from the Project – decided they'd rather make money hiring Weapons out to the highest bidder – I've been the biggest thorn in their side for my little 'underground railroad' of rescued Weapons. At least until you came along, son. They really don't like you." That comment seemed to be directed at the Professor, even though he didn't look that much younger than Mr. McKenzie. Xavier steepled his fingers and smiled thinly. "I gathered as much from the attempted assassination. Is that the reason why you wanted to visit, Mr. McKenzie?" "Ah, you get used to the assassination attempts. The real question is..." Mr. McKenzie rasped a thumb over the bristles of his beard, looking thoughtful. "How much do you know about Arno Stark?" "Silicon Valley dweeb!" Illyana gasped quietly, half-hidden behind Pyotr ever since the topic of attempted assassinations came up.
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Jun 26, 2019 15:17
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Jean Grey PP: 1 | XP: 6 "That's some shade from a chess champ.", Jean says a momentary grin that fades. "They sure love their proper nouns, don't they? I guess it makes it a little easier to do what they do to bundle up all their crimes in the everyday." "But Arno Stark, doesn't he do some kind of philanthropy or something?", says, rubbing her neck as she looks over to Roman. "I don't suppose you're going to tell us he's a great guy after all, huh? Would like to have a conversation that doesn't involve covert horrors for a change..."
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Jun 29, 2019 22:18
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Wolverine PP: 4 | XP: 3 (25 reserved for story-based advances) Jane looks a little pensive, crossing her arms under her chest and looking off in the distance. She says, "Well, there's that. I'm the best there is at what I do." She looks at Roman, a hint of challenge in her eyes. "And, trust me, what I do ain't nice... if only because they won't leave me alone."
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Jun 30, 2019 00:24
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